UWG Hosts Service Day to Prepare Campus for Homecoming

The University of West Georgia Center for Student Involvement and Inclusion (CSII) hosted a Service Day on Sept. 23 in Love Valley to help prepare campus for Homecoming festivities.

Students gathered in Love Valley to participate in one of the many service opportunities taking place that day including campus cleanup, beautifying the Campus Center, working in the campus garden and writing letters to people in retirement homes or hospitalized patients.

“Our main focus today is campus cleanup,” said Khalis Thomas, Assistant Director of Student Life for the University of West Georgia. “We currently have some students decorating the windows at the campus center with paints, others are walking around campus picking up trash where they see it, and a third group is at the campus garden behind Arbor View to help maintain it. We want to beautify the campus before the influx of visitors this week!”

The campus garden is located behind Arbor View Apartments and West Commons dining hall. It is regularly maintained by the Garden Club and all of its produce goes directly to the dining halls on campus. By working in the garden, students also had a chance to take part in not only cleaning campus but providing food as well.

Students were also afforded the opportunity to write letters to people currently living in retirement homes or who have been hospitalized for an extended period of time. CSII provided all of the materials and even information on why a simple card can do wonders to brighten someone’s day.

“A lot of these people have been isolated due to COVID-19 and being extremely high risk,” said Omarion Smart, student at the University of West Georgia. “This kind of isolation can cause feelings of isolation, anxiety and loneliness. We’re out here making cards for them to let them know that they are loved and that someone out there cares for them. We want them to know they are not alone in this fight!”

The UWG Service Day allowed students to give back to the campus that has given them so much. As campus continues to prepare for the upcoming Homecoming festivities, the student’s contributions can be seen all around campus and have truly helped set them up for success.