Students Dedicate A Morning To Service For Treasure Savannah
Kee’Ara Smith, Staff Writer
“This was a very humbling experience that taught me the true value of my community,” said senior Lydia Boone of her Treasure Savannah experience.
The Armstrong campus gave back to the community this past weekend by holding its annual Treasure Savannah day of service. Every year the Armstrong and Liberty campuses unite for a morning of serving the Savannah and Hinesville areas.
This years service locations were, Hoofs 4 Healing, Salvation Army, Keep Savannah Beautiful, Habitat for Humanity and Union Mission.
Organizations such as NAACP, Association of Nursing Students, SAAS, Honors students and students from the Liberty campus all came out and showed support for the event, expressing how diverse our campuses are.
In the past, students would travel to their work sites on local school buses. This year students were surprised to travel by Old Town Trolleys.
“I think having the trolleys was a great switch up for the true experience of treasure Savannah,” said junior Hailey Harris.
Hoofs 4 Healing gave students an opportunity to work first hand with ponies and horses.
Hoofs 4 Healing has been an ongoing site for Treasure Savannah since it first started. Many students expressed their love for animals, “Today I volunteered for the first time with Treasure Savannah as a freshman. I was a site leader for the Hoofs 4 Healing which was a great experience. It helped me to see how therapy horses really help kids/adults on the spectrum,” said freshman Makenzi Thomas.
For students working with Keep Savannah Beautiful, they were split into groups and given assigned streets that extended from Waters Ave. to Salvador St. to clean up Savannah residents’ streets, neighborhoods and yards. The coordinator for that particular community rewarded students with a wide-range of treats such as donuts, juice, water and fruits.
“Keep Savannah Beautiful was a great experience. I was able to feel like I was making a change and physically see it. I would do this again and get others to do it with me. As a freshman, I was scared I would be getting into something crazy, but it was a great thing for the community,” said freshman Amarah Young.
“This day provided us with the opportunity to connect with people in our community and make a positive impact in the city. I am a better me because of this,” said senior Briana Benton.
Coordinator of Leadership and Community Engagement, Ben Phillips said students can check their my involvement page on the GSU website get more involved. It is updated everyday.
