After moving onto campus Saturday, Belmont University’s incoming freshman class volunteered their time this morning to a number of local charity and ministry organizations as part of the school’s annual “Welcome Week.” In groups ranging from 25 to 100 students, most of Belmont’s new freshman class participated in SERVE.
SERVE was begun as part of Belmont’s ongoing commitment to engage students in their community and encourage the values of service on both a local and global level. Matt Burchett, Belmont’s Director of New Student and Parent Programs, said, “Our identity as an institution is most clearly defined when we serve others. We are committed to encouraging our students to find the places of need wherein their energy, talent and enthusiasm can be used for a significant purpose.”
The organizations that participated in this year’s SERVE project include Campus for Human Development, Monroe Harding Children’s Home, Dismas House, Rocketown Youth Services, Salvation Army, American Red Cross, Outlook Nashville, Project CURE, Bethlehem Centers of Nashville, Catholic Charities, Feed the Children, Friends of Warner Parks, Kings Daughter Day Home, Nashville Rescue Mission, Radnor Lake State Natural Area, YWCA Shelter, Joe C. Davis YMCA Facility, Community Resource Center, Safe Haven Family Shelter, Earth Matters, Exchange Club-Family Centers of Tennessee, Magdalene House, Nurses for Newborns, Better Tomorrows and ThriftSmart. Students engaged in a number of different activities, from cleaning to packing boxes of food to planting flowers.
Welcome Week and the SERVE initiative conclude with the second annual UNITE concert on Aug. 22 at the Curb Event Center. This year’s concert will feature recording artists Bebo Norman, Shane & Shane and Shawn McDonald, with proceeds from the night’s event benefitting Compassion International, a Christian child development organization dedicated to releasing children from poverty. The inaugural UNITE concert held last year featured Jars of Clay and raised funds and awareness for Blood:Water Mission, a non-profit organization founded to promote clean blood and clean water efforts in Africa.
