‘125 Hours of Service’ allows Belmont to give back to Nashville and beyond through volunteering
As part of Belmont’s quasquicentennial celebration, the University is planning to complete 125 consecutive hours of service Nov. 8-13 at a wide range of local nonprofit organizations including Room in the Inn, Second Harvest Food Bank, the Martha O’Bryan Center, Thriftsmart and Nashville Rescue Mission, among others.
“A primary goal of the 125th Anniversary Planning Committee was to find opportunities to spotlight and celebrate those qualities that have been core values of Belmont since 1890,” said John Carney, committee chair and senior director of University Marketing and Public Relations. “And to do so in unique and interesting ways. So for service, it doesn’t get bigger than serving for 125 consecutive hours.”
“A primary goal of the 125th Anniversary Planning Committee was to find opportunities to spotlight and celebrate those qualities that have been core values of Belmont since 1890, and to do so in unique and interesting ways.”
A number of opportunities are now posted on Belmont’s “Get Connected” site, which is accessible from MyBelmont. Via MyBelmont students, staff and faculty will automatically be logged into the system; alumni can visit the Get Connected site and create an account so that they too can participate in the special week-long event. Once logged in to Get Connected, select the red banded “125 Hours of Continuous Service” logo, and users will be taken to a list of all of the community service opportunities that have been posted so far.
Director of Service Learning Tim Stewart noted, “We have a wide variety of service projects and times to fit most anyone’s interest and schedule. If you’re an early riser, you can serve breakfast at the Nashville Rescue Mission, or if you’re a night owl, you can serve as an overnight host for Room in the Inn. Throughout the day during the 125 Hours of Service, there are opportunities to help organizations such as Tennessee Voices for Children who are preparing for a Songwriter’s Night event, Thriftsmart where you can assist in sorting donations and organizing merchandise in their store, and the Jean Crowe Advocacy Center which provides safety and support to victims of domestic violence who are navigating thru the court system, who need some help cleaning and organizing their space.”
In addition to celebrating a significant Belmont milestone, all of the volunteer hours are also eligible for community service convocation credit for students.
The “125 Hours of Service” event is scheduled to conclude on Fri., Nov. 13 with a drop off party for Operation Christmas Child, a longstanding Belmont tradition. Participants can bring their filled boxes to the Maddox Grand Atrium between 11:30 a.m. and noon where a photo booth and writing station will be present so that community members can include a picture and note in their completed box before it ships.
A closing ceremony will follow promptly at noon for all of the volunteers from throughout the week and then everyone involved in making 125 Hours of Service happen will be invited to attend a celebratory lunch in the Beaman Student Life Center.
