By Katy Beth Boyers
Contributing Writer
Samford Gives Back is an opportunity for students to not only receive convocation credits and get a free meal, but also give back to the community. Samford Gives Back will kick off Saturday March 30 at 8 a.m.
Students will have the opportunity to give back to the community through various volunteer opportunities as part of Samford Gives Back. Students spend four hours with their chosen community partners, which gives them an opportunity to get involved outside of Samford.
“I think the goal of Samford Gives Back is to give Samford students an opportunity to serve Birmingham and the surrounding areas,” freshman Mary Anna Fricks said. “I know as a college student it can be hard to find the time to volunteer or it can be uncomfortable to reach out to find a place to go volunteer, so Samford Gives Back is really just a way to get people involved outside of Samford.”
Fricks serves at the External Philanthropy Chair for Alpha Omicron Pi at Samford, and is organizing what the sorority is going to do for this upcoming event.
Students form their own Samford Gives Back groups and find the community partner they wish to work with. For example, AOII is planning to volunteer at a farm.
“AOII is going to be volunteering at Missing Link Rescue, which is a farm,” Fricks said. “Everybody is really excited to hang out with the animals and do some chores around the farm.”
Samford Gives Back is an opportunity for students to continue to volunteer, especially if they volunteered a lot in high school. Fricks is one of those students who is very passionate about service projects and volunteering, which is why she ran for the role she now holds in AOII.
“My high school held grade level service projects, and I really enjoyed them. I wanted to continue to serve others in college and help others get involved so I decided to run for External Philanthropy Chair,” Fricks said.
Students are encouraged to attend Samford Gives Back not just for the convo credit or the free T-shirt and food, but because it is a great opportunity to do something outside of campus. Fricks said she too, encourages students to attend the event this Saturday.
“People should attend Samford Gives Back because it’s a great way to get out of the ‘Samford Bubble,’ and the feeling of helping other people is like no other,” she said. “People give so much to Samford, so we can give back a small sliver of what has been given to us.”
Students who wish to attend Samford Gives Back are asked to meet at the Wright Center at 8 a.m. for free breakfast and an opening ceremony before they are sent off to work for the next four hours. Participants will receive four convocation credits each.
