Third annual service event sends students into the Lynchburg community
Liberty University students and faculty served 8,500 volunteer hours during the third annual Serve Lynchburg event April 12 and 13.
The event gave students and faculty an opportunity to serve the Lynchburg community in a variety of ways, ranging from general clean-up to landscaping to painting interior and exterior walls. Liberty partnered with more than 100 local organizations and companies during the weekend.
According to Chad Nelson, the director of local and domestic engagement for LU Serve, around 2,200 volunteers went out to serve the Lynchburg community over the course of two days.
“We have often referred to it as a catalytic event,” Nelson said. “We want students to think about not only this one day of mass service, but what they can do for ongoing service to the community year around.”
Meeting — Students gathered on the Academic Lawn early April 13 to check into their stations.
All the volunteers gathered on the Academic Lawn the morning of April 13 to check into their stations before boarding buses to head off to their sites, where they served from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Nelson said LU Serve wanted this event to help students learn more about an organization or a community they have never interacted with before and wanted everyone involved to have a better grasp of the social issues occurring in the Lynchburg area.
Senior Vice President of Spiritual Development David Nasser said he sees this opportunity as a two-sided gift.
“Every single student isn’t just giving their time, talents and treasure, but they are receiving in return,” Nasser said.
One organization impacted by Serve Lynchburg was the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, which provides food to more than 200 partner pantries in Virginia. On April 13, 20 volunteers went out to the Lynchburg area branch to paint walls, sort food and wash juice packages before sending them off to food-insecure families.
According to James Quade, Lynchburg Blue Ridge Area Food Bank branch manager, without the help of consistent volunteers, the food bank would not be able to feed the 18,500 people who rely on the organization’s provisions each month.
“The importance and appreciation we have for our volunteers help us be able to achieve what we want to achieve and save what we would have to pay a contractor to do,” Quade said. “We can put that money into buying more food and feeding more food-insecure people.”
GATHERING — Lew Weider, executive director of LU Serve, snapped a picture as students assembled on the Academic Lawn to meet group leaders and receive service assignments.
This year, students served at non- and for-profit companies like Mrs. Joy’s Absolutely Fabulous Treats. The owner of the small business, Tarsha Joyner, had the volunteers help her with maintenance around her space, which alleviated the stress of running her business and maintained the upkeep of her local shop.
Nelson said LU Serve saw the event grow from 1,500 volunteers the first year to 2,200 volunteers this year.
“With support from the provost’s office, we have been able to get Friday classes excused so students and their professors can go out and serve,” Nelson said. “Dr. Hicks was an advocate for us to get the faculty and staff involved.”
About 600 student and professor volunteers went out Friday, April 12, to serve 25 organizations, kicking off the two-day event.
“It is such a blessing to see our faculty and staff roll up their sleeves with our students during Serve Lynchburg,” Nasser said. “Last year, from the provost to the athletic director, I saw people from every level of leadership with paint brushes, rakes or towels in their hand, ready to serve.”
THANK YOU — Liberty students hang thank you notes to the organizations after returning from serving the community.
This year, LU Serve introduced a new aspect to the event called Relaunch — interactive pieces for students to do once they got back from serving. Nelson said they wanted students to come back from being out in the community and realize how they can stay engaged with Lynchburg through continual service throughout the year.
LU Serve constructed a 33-foot-long wall outside the Montview Student Union with a section for every partner on it. As students stepped off the buses, they wrote thank you notes to the organization where they had just served and clipped them to the wall.
“This year, we really wanted to integrate thanking our partners and community organizations to thank them for what they are doing in our community,” Nelson said. “(They) are not only meeting needs to help address the symptoms of things but also addressing the root causes of issues.”
For many students, this event opens the door to future service and more opportunities to make an impact on their community.
“It is nothing short of phenomenal that President Falwell gets to symbolically put a check in the hands of our mayor and city council that says, ‘I have an army of servants, where would you like them to go?’”
Nasser said.