Service Plunge Gives Back to the Community
Emory & Henry College sent hundreds of first-year students out to work in surrounding communities during its annual Service Plunge held on Tuesday, Aug. 27. Organized by the Appalachian Center for Civic Life, teams of students and their faculty coordinators left campus on buses headed to various service locations that represented a theme of their first-year courses. For example, the Energy & Sustainability course, led by Jim Duchamp, went to the Blue Ridge Discovery Center to aid in establishing a new nature trail along Dell’s Branch. The students helped by removing non-native invasive plants, spreading gravel, removing trash and other tasks.
Service Plunge
-
Vice President John Holloway and President John Wells pose with students at the Abingdon Muster Grounds. -
Dr. Tal Stanley addresses students at Service Plunge in the Kennedy~Reedy Theatre. -
Students prepare to leave for Service Plunge outside the McGlothlin Center for the Arts. -
President John Wells checks in on students working at the Abingdon Muster Grounds. -
Professor Ed Davis works with students at Faith in Action in Abingdon. -
Professor Travis Proffitt with students at the Washington County Public Library. -
Students at Smyth Chapel work on landscaping projects outside. -
Students working at the Abingdon Muster Grounds show off their waders as they worked on stream clean up. -
Students at the Abingdon Muster Grounds work to freshen the flower beds. -
Students working at Smyth Chapel work to maintain and clean the pews.
“Service Plunge is a reflection of Emory & Henry’s mission and values of service to others in our region and the larger world,” said Maggie Obermann, civic engagement coordinator. “It’s an important opportunity for new students to make connections with community organizations in nearby towns to better understand themselves as part of the larger community while also bonding with classmates, faculty and staff.”
During Service Plunge, 18 different locations in the local community were visited by student volunteers. A barbecue luncheon was served on campus following the teams’ return to reward the hard working students, staff and faculty.
As part of the educational community of Emory & Henry College, the Appalachian Center for Civic Life strives to create a nationally distinctive program of service and education, equipping students to be agents of social change in our region, our nation and the world. Focusing on the interconnection of place, citizenship, public policy, social capital and mediating structures, the Appalachian Center will expand its place-based model, creating new opportunities for service and learning that is response to the long, environmental, and human history of a place, acknowledging the persistence of a range of social and cultural conflicts.
“It is our hope at the Appalachian Center that Service Plunge will be a spark that ignites students’ continued engagement in ongoing meaningful opportunities to make Southwest Virginia thrive,” said Obermann.
Open gallery
Service Plunge is a reflection of Emory & Henry’s mission and values of service to others in our region and the larger world.
-Maggie Obermann