WILSON, N.C. — October 19, 2015 — Don’t be surprised to see a blur of Barton Bulldogs zipping by on Wednesday morning, Oct. 21. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni in signature blue t-shirts will be headed out to work with a multitude of local organizations during the College’s annual “Day of Service.” With more than 825 Barton participants signed up, students and professors at the College will set aside books, and campus staff members will step away from desks, for the eighth annual “Day of Service” on campus and in the Wilson community. Returning this year to join the Barton community will be an enthusiastic team of College alumni as well as an energetic group of 50 visiting students and advisors from Craven County.
Begun in 2008, this campus initiative supports Barton’s vision for its graduates to be “well-prepared for life and for success in their chosen careers because they will possess a lifelong commitment to learning, service, and achievement.” The now well-established program, just eight years old, has quickly become one of the most highly anticipated annual events for the campus community.
Through participation in these one-day projects, Barton hopes to provide its students with a foundation for developing a deeper appreciation for service learning and a stronger sense of civic responsibility, as well as meeting needs within the broader Wilson community. Developing a lifelong commitment to service is part of the “Barton Experience,” and Barton College’s “Day of Service” provides an intentional opportunity for the campus community to give back to its hometown community of Wilson.
Barton College’s “Day of Service” will begin with a kick-off breakfast for participants at 8 a.m. followed by brief remarks from campus leaders. Members of the college community will then disperse at 8:30 a.m. to assigned locations across the city for service and return to campus later that afternoon to share a meal and reports of work.
Local service projects for the Barton community this year include working with: the Arts Council, Bridgestone, Community Christian School, Community Soup Kitchen, Darden/Vick Middle School, Diversified Opportunities, Ecological Forest, First Baptist Church, First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), For the Love of Dogs, Forest Hills Baptist Church, Habitat for Humanity, Hope Station, Imagination Station, Kiddie Kampus, Margaret Hearne Elementary School, New Hope Elementary School, Oliver Nestus Freeman Round House Museum, Old Wilson Neighborhood Association, Pikeville Elementary School, Preservation of Wilson, Sallie B. Howard School, St. Therese Catholic Church, Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club, The Spot, Veterans Residential Services, Wells Elementary School, Wesley Shelter, Westview Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Wilson Family YMCA, Wilson House Assisted Living, Wilson Parks and Recreation, and Y.O.U.T.H. of Wilson, among others.
END