UA’s 57 Miles Program Returns to Marion to Work at High School

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — About 40 freshmen and 10 student leaders from The University of Alabama will perform service projects at Francis Marion High School in Marion from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25.

The projects include painting the interior of the main entrance, landscaping the grounds and cleaning classrooms.

The UA organization 57 Miles is joining with UA’s Honors Year One and Francis Marion High School to revitalize the school. The organization also is partnering with Marion Military Institute for the event. This partner has pledged 15 volunteers to support the afternoon’s projects.

Honors College students will leave from Tuscaloosa at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and will arrive in Marion at approximately 1 p.m. After the work is completed, students and student leaders will discuss the day’s events in small groups. Following small-group discussions, Honors students and community members will share dinner and ice cream at P3 – the Honors College’s newly opened community space on the Downtown Square in Marion.

Founded in the summer of 2013, 57 Miles is a campus-community partnership between UA’s Honors College and Perry County. Through 57 Miles, Honors students have year-round opportunities to give back to communities-in-need, learn about the Black Belt’s vibrant history, and put education into action by tackling real challenges of rural poverty. 57 Miles is, according to the group,  not a distance that separates, but a place where passion meets purpose.