Nearly 650 Union College students and staff flooded the streets of Lincoln, Nebraska, Aug. 28, to help more than 50 social service agencies.
Nearly 650 Union College students and staff flooded the streets of Lincoln, Nebraska, Aug. 28, to help more than 50 social service agencies.
Union’s community service day, Project Impact, is a 22-year-old tradition observed by canceling classes just a week after they have begun. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has provided support for this project for the past three years in cooperation with the college, which is operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
“Although the majority of our projects take place overseas, ADRA is happy to be the principal sponsor of such a worthy project here in the United States,” says Charles Sandefur, president for ADRA International.
During the past 21 years, more than 11,300 students and staff have participated, putting in 40,000 hours of volunteer service at various Lincoln social service sites. Approximately 80 percent of Union’s students participate in the student-run Project Impact.
This year’s sites included several elementary schools, community centers, food banks, libraries, youth services, the American Red Cross, a Humane Society and a Habitat for Humanity home site. Along with traditional projects, such as yard work, cleaning and painting, volunteers were able to wash cars, visit with students, sort donations, conduct a phone survey and paint a mural that has been in the works for five years.
The experience is so rewarding for students that most Project Impact volunteers are multi-year veterans.
Project Impact 2003 is the second time around for sophomore Tara Trewitt. “I think Project Impact is an important part of Union College,” Trewitt says. “It’s a great way for students to get to know each other. But most importantly, it’s a way for us to share Christ with our community—a chance to share what makes Union College different as a Christian college.”
Many in the community are getting this message. A social worker at Cedars Youth Services reported that she has worked at three different social service agencies in Lincoln and all have been served by Union College. “This is the talk of the town,” she says.
The project began in 1981 as Project Brush, an initiative to paint 100 homes for elderly and disabled Lincoln residents before the college’s 1991 centennial celebration. The goal was reached and exceeded by 13 homes. The success of Project Brush led Union to develop the citywide Project Impact with the new angle of helping and energizing local social service agencies.
