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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Atlanta, GA | Posted: December 2, 2013
Beginning with FASET 2013 and continuing throughout the fall semester, Georgia Tech students have demonstrated the Institute’s motto, "Progress and Service." To introduce the tradition of service to all incoming students, the Office of Leadership & Civic Engagement, in collaboration with the Office of New Student & Sophomore Programs, sponsored “Community Connections,” a summer-long collection drive to benefit the Atlanta Day Shelter for Women and Children. All families and students were encouraged to participate at their FASET session by donating a travel-sized toiletry item or snack item. We are pleased to share that we collected 4,853 items! The project culminated with an on-campus service event on Friday, August 16 where participants packaged the donated items into critical needs kits for the shelter. We were able to donate 584 shower kits and 209 snack kits. Thank you to all the students and families who participated! Your small acts of service have made a big impact in our community.
The student organization, MOVE (Mobilizing Opportunities for Volunteer Experience), hosted its annual freshman day of service program, “Into the Streets,” on Saturday August 24. The event engaged 135 participants in 12 service projects throughout the Metro Atlanta area. Last month, TEAM Buzz hosted its annual campus-wide day of service. Approximately 1500 volunteers served with 35 different community service projects ranging from tutoring to community cleanups to medical assistance projects.
In addition to the days of service, there are on-going weekly and monthly service opportunities such as tutoring and mentoring as well as volunteering in local hospitals through student organizations such as Circle K, Omega Phi Alpha, Student Hospital Connections, MOVE, and the English Avenue Youth Enrichment Program. Jumpstart at Georgia Tech, an AmeriCorps program that recruits college students to tutor in local preschool classrooms to foster early childhood language and literacy skills, continues to excel. Currently, there are 28 Jumpstart Corps Members who have made the commitment to complete 300 hours of community service during the academic year.
The spring 2014 semester will continue to build upon the momentum and energy that service at Georgia Tech experienced this fall. Traditions such as the MLK Day of Service, the Women’s Day of Service, Relay for Life, and Dance Marathon are all planned for the spring semester. Additionally, alternative service breaks will take place during the Institute’s spring break. Multiple student organizations such as Alternative Service Breaks, Trailblazers, and FIMRC (Foundation for the International Medical Relief of Children) will host these group-oriented service immersion trips in March. The Community Service Council is also working on a Spring Service Series that will help unify many of our spring service traditions with the goal of celebrating “Progress and Service” at Georgia Tech.
Student involvement in co-curricular community service initiatives is just one of many examples where Georgia Tech students work together to make a positive impact. There are 450+ chartered student organizations on campus; 50 of them identify service as their primary focus. For more information about Georgia Tech’s service organizations and civic engagement initiatives, please visit leadandengage.gatech.edu and jacketpages.gatech.edu.
