SMC Freshmen Provide Service to Spartanburg Community

08/21/10

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

SPARTANBURG, SC - Nearly 500 Freshmen from Spartanburg Methodist College spread out across Spartanburg County on Saturday as part of the college's 10th annual Freshmen Day of Service (FDOS).

View photos of Freshmen Day of Service on Facebook

The FDOS is a community outreach event held each fall during the first weekend freshmen are on campus, in which all freshmen are required to participate. The event is designed to give incoming students an opportunity to learn more about and give back to the Spartanburg community.

Students set out early Saturday to 21 project sites around Spartanburg County, in groups of approximately 20-25. Each group was led by a faculty or staff member and a number of Pioneer Peers, sophomores who work throughout the year with campus activities and programming.

Freshman Katie Morris, from Gaffney, SC, was in a group that helped paint a house for the Spartanburg Christmas in Action initiative.

"I've liked helping people since I was little. It's only my second day of college, but I'm excited to be doing something like this. It's really fun and I think it's a good thing to do," says Morris.

A group of SMC freshmen that went to Central United Methodist Church worked on putting together shelving, moving items around in the church and reorganizing different rooms.

"Projects like this are great because it allows your give back, it's fun, and you get to meet new people," says freshman Ben Boykin, of Fort Mill, SC.

Freshman Hayle Osment, from Chesnee, SC, who was in the group that helped out at Central UMC, adds, "It makes you feel good inside to know that you're helping someone out."

SMC president Dr. Colleen Keith assisted with projects at Central UMC and at McCracken Junior High School

"This is my second year of Freshmen Day of Service and I have been extremely impressed with our students each time and their enthusiasm for this event. Our Freshmen were really energized this morning - which was great to see. I am very proud of all of them for their efforts during Freshmen Day of Service. This event not only allows our Freshmen to get to know each other better their first weekend here, it helps open their eyes to the kind of needs there are in every community," says Dr. Keith.

In conjunction with FDOS, the college also kicked off a new initiative Saturday called the Centennial Service Challenge (CSC). The CSC will run through April 21 and will encourage SMC students, staff, faculty, trustees, parents and alumni to give back to the Spartanburg Community by committing to complete 100 hours of service over the eight-month period.

Freshmen who participated in FDOS will receive credit toward their CSC commitment.

Sites that SMC freshmen helped out at on Saturday included:

• Aldersgate United Methodist Church
• Girl Scouts of America's Camp Mary Elizabeth
• Central United Methodist Church
• Children's Advocacy Center
• Children's Shelter of the Upstate
• Christmas in Action
• Dillon Pointe Assisted Living
• Fuller Center for Housing's Thrift Store
• Interim Healthcare Hospice
• Miracle Hill Ministries
• McCracken Junior High
• SAFE Homes - Rape Crisis Center
• Salvation Army Community  Center
• SOAR Academy
• Southeastern Children's Home
• Spartanburg Charter School
• Spartanburg Parks Commission
• Spartanburg Regional Hospice
• Spartanburg Soup Kitchen
• SPACE
• Windsor House Assisted Living

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Spartanburg Methodist College begins its 100th academic year of providing quality education to students in a Christian environment on Aug. 25, 2010.  More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning.

For more information, contact Brian Fulkerson, director of public information, at (864) 587-4254 or publicinfo@smcsc.edu