August 29, 2024

From gardening to painting, busloads of Columbus State University volunteers pitched in to help 14 local nonprofit organizations during the university’s 17th annual Day of Service on Saturday, Aug. 24. More than 250 students, aided by faculty and staff, volunteered as part of the event.

“Columbus State University would not exist without the support of this community. A day like today, where we serve our community, is so important,” President Stuart Rayfield said while working alongside Cross Country student-athletes at the Columbus Botanical Gardens. “About half of our students come from outside Columbus, so we want to connect them to our area. One of the best ways to do that is through service.”

One of those student-athletes was sophomore Avery Tyus of Stockbridge, who helped clear the garden’s trails of debris resulting from recent severe weather.

“It really means a lot to get out and help the community; this is important and something we all should do,” Tyus said. “This community helps us so much, so we should give back to it.”

Like Rayfield and Tyus, Student Government Association President Adrian Peterson valued giving back—and learning more about—the university’s host community.

“Our Day of Service is wonderful because we can give back to a community that gives so much to Columbus State,” he said, taking a break from trimming weeds at the Columbus Botanical Gardens. “Many of the opportunities granted to our students come from nonprofits and different organizations in the community,”

The early-morning work didn’t deter Donovan Stone, a senior from Columbus. He volunteered alongside his Track & Field teammates and University Police Department staff at Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a national network of local chapters that builds and delivers beds for needy kids.

“I would be in my own bed right now sleeping, so building a bed for a child who needs it, being able to do something like this, it’s amazing,” Stone said.

Columbus native Beatriz Chavez (pictured) also volunteered at Sleep in Heavenly Peace, where she donned oversized rubber gloves and stained headboards before they were assembled into children’s beds. She said the Day of Service is a way she can return the generosity others have shown her—while picking up a new skill.

“I wanted to help today because I’ve always had others helping me, and volunteering is always something I’ve enjoyed. I get to meet new people and learn new skills while giving back. I’m staining [children’s beds] today, and I’ve never stained anything in my life,” she said.

Lauren Barnes of Clayton joined her Servant Leadership Program classmates at Turn Around Columbus’ George Washington Carver Victory Garden & Farm. 

“Physically getting your hands dirty [like we are at the farm] is so important for so many life skills,” she said. “Studying in the Servant Leadership Program is about getting your hands dirty in many ways. We get out of our comfort zone a lot; we work with people we’re not used to working with—people of different cultures, backgrounds, beliefs and religions. All of that is so important to learning how to work with people different from us.”

Columbus State volunteers completed organizing and cleaning projects at the Boys & Girls Club, Chattahoochee Valley Libraries, Columbus Area Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore, Columbus Regional Tennis Association (CORTA), National Infantry Museum, Paws Humane and Village Foster Care and Adoptive Ministry. Volunteers gardened, landscaped, pruned and planted at Columbus Botanical Gardens, The Columbus Museum, and Turn Around Columbus’ George Washington Carver Victory Garden & Farm. They also helped with building and painting projects at the Family House of West Georgia, Girls Inc. of Columbus & Phenix-Russell, and Sleep in Heavenly Peace.

By noon, nearly 300 volunteers had logged 643 volunteer hours. At $31.24 per hour—the current value of volunteer time in Georgia as determined by the nonprofit Independent Sector—their service equated to a single-day monetary impact of $20,087 on these nonprofit organizations.

The Day of Service event concluded the university’s annual two-week slate of fall semester Cougar Kickoff activities, which included picnics and a “Chill with the President” ice cream social; whitewater rafting excursion; First-Year Experience Convocation; and wellness, volunteer, campus job and student organization recruitment fairs. The Day of Service and many Cougar Kickoff events are coordinated by the Office of Student Life & Development, part of the university’s Division of Student Affairs.

Sponsors for this year’s Day of Service included Aramark, CSU’s Barnes & Noble Campus Bookstore, Chick-fil-A, Columbus Water Works, Imprints Printing & Promotions, and Kinetic Credit Union.

---

Main news photo: Servant Leadership Program students painted tires at the Turn Around Columbus George Washington Carver Victory Garden & Farm. The tires are used to contain garden plants, and the vivid colors brighten up the garden's grounds.

Media contact: Michael Tullier, APR, Executive Director of Strategic Communication + Marketing, 706.507.8729, mtullier@columbusstate.edu