The SOAR Office is collecting items such as clothing, toiletries, paper goods and personal care items until Friday for the Foothills Alliance, a non-profit agency that aids abuse victims both child and adult.

The Foothills Alliance is based in Anderson County, S.C. where Clemson University is located and where this year’s Southern Regional Orientation Workshop Conference that is hosted by National Orientation Directors association will be held.

Georgia Southern’s SOAR team will attend the conference this weekend and compete with other schools’ orientation teams for the most items donated toward the Foothills Alliance.

“They have a different service project every year to collect items in a competitive way, but the moral of the story is helping out,” Jacobi Carpenter, senior hospitality management major and returning SOAR leader, said.

The items are calculated for scoring in a points system, and GSU has raised over 7,000 points of items thus far, which Carpenter said is a lot of points.

At the conference, orientation leaders will attend education sessions as well as hear speakers and meet with orientation teams from other schools.

Most SOAR leaders who attend the trip are first-time SOAR leaders or conference attendees. Carpenter and a few others will return.

“It’s their first chance to see other orientation teams and what they do,” Carpenter said. “Our goal is to learn, take notes and bring things back to our soar team.”

They also participate in competitions and receive awards at a ceremony held at the end of the weekend.

“It’s a whole weekend of orientation leaders fighting and competing,” Carpenter said.

Anyone wishing to donate for the aid of abuse victims can drop of items off at Lewis Hall in Sweetheart’s Circle until 7 a.m. tomorrow.