SMC Community Logs 5,800+ Service Hours in Centennial Service Challenge

05/02/11 — Service Initiative Celebrates College's 100 Year History and Mission

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

SPARTANBURG, SC -- The Spartanburg Methodist College community logged more than 5,800 hours during the 2010-2011 academic year, as part of a unique community service initiative which helped celebrate the college's 100 year history and mission of service to others.

More than 337 members of the SMC community participated in the 2010-2011 Centennial Service Challenge, which kicked off in August as part of the college's Centennial celebration.

More than half of the SMC's full-time faculty and staff participated in the challenge, along with 177 freshmen and 105 sophomores. Those who recorded more than 20 hours of community service throughout the year were recognized at a recent awards dinner.

SMC sophomore DeShawn Clement, of Greenville, SC, was recognized for the most hours of service, with more than 250. Katharine Newman recorded the most service hours of all SMC freshmen.

"With an enrollment of 800 students, Spartanburg Methodist is one of the smaller colleges in the Upstate. That 42 percent of the SMC community provided more than 5,800 hours of service in our Centennial year speaks volumes about the kind of place that SMC is. We may be small, but our hearts are huge," says SMC president Dr. Colleen P. Keith.

Kim Day, director of student activities and leadership development, and Dr. Ann Bowles, vice president for academic affairs, were recognized as the staff and faculty members with the most hours of service. 

"Encouraging students to participate in community service through projects like this one builds a strong foundation for them as they enter into adulthood.  Our hope is that service to others will become a way of life for these students, not just an event," says Day.

 SMC librarian James Haller, chaplain Candice Sloan, and sophomore Randy Carpenter, of Woodruff, SC, were recognized for more than 100 service hours during the year. 

The Centennial Service Challenge began with the annual Freshman Day of Service.  In addition to the 20 sites served on that day, participants in the Challenge helped at an additional 36 other locations around Spartanburg, the Upstate, the Southeast, and around the world. 

Participants could be found working on local projects for the Special Olympics; the Carolina Miracle League; Jesse Bobo, Arcadia, and Pine Street Elementary Schools; a dozen churches across the state; the the Spartanburg Humane Society; the Walnut Grove Plantation; the Spartanburg Little Theatre; Christmas in Action; Habitat for Humanity; and many others.

Day adds that the SMC's faculty and staff work to set a continuous example of  integrating service into daily life.

"As faculty and staff, we need to be the ones setting the example for students to see how to incorporate service to others into one's daily life.  It might take sacrifice, but it is completely worth it. Having students participate in service also benefits the local community.  Not only are the lives of those who benefit from the service changed, but students' attitudes about the world around them are shaped and molded for positive social change as a result of their service activity.  This has long-reaching effects for our communities and the world at large.  I am honored to be a part of a group of students and fellow employees who accepted this service challenge so openly.  Hopefully their experiences will have a lasting effect throughout their educational experience," she says.

Spartanburg Methodist College is in its 100th academic year of providing quality education to students in a Christian environment.  More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning.
For additional information, please contact Brian Fulkerson, director of public information, at publicinfo@smcsc.edu or (864) 587-4254.