The Service Learning Center’s big project this semester is going to be Haiti relief. In partnership with The Gathering from the River Community Church, the Service Center will be collecting items to send to the victims of the Jan. 12 earthquake. There are drop centers set up around campus for items such as water, wipes, canned food, wash cloths, pasta, peanut butter, batteries, flashlights, hygiene products, medical supplies, sheets, thin blankets, diapers, and formula.
“The opportunity to serve -to help and volunteer locally or globally – is a privilege,” News Bureau director, Karen Lykins said. “As a part of the Tech family, we are fortunate to have ways to marshal resources and volunteers in a big way.”
Jeremy Cook, representing The Gathering, coordinated Push Week, setting up collection boxes on South Patio. They will work with Safe Water Nexus to get the supplies to Haiti. The centers will be set up all semester, the main one in Service Learning Coordinator Michelle Huddleston’s office in RUC 108 across from the Cafeteria.
This and other campus relief projects descriptions are available on the Tech web site. It is accessible by clicking the Haiti relief slide on the Tech homepage. This was organized by Lykins.
“I thought it was important to gather information in one place on how and when people could donate money or supplies,” Lykins said. “We used the student and faculty/staff versions of Tech Times to ask for information about any and all efforts on campus focused on Haiti relief.”
The Service Center works with around 50 agencies and organizations in the Upper Cumberland. There are many opportunities for nursing majors working with the Service Learning Center at the hospital.
For more information, call Huddleston at (931) 372-6120. To add your campus organization’s efforts to the list, email Lykins at klykins@tntech.edu.