Ouachita Stories

In an evening emphasizing partnerships and regional cooperation, Ouachita Baptist University’s Tiger Serve Day program was recognized along with Henderson State University’s Reddie to Serve program as the Volunteer Organizations of the Year at the first annual Arkadelphia Regional Economic Development Alliance and Area Chamber of Commerce banquet and membership meeting.

Tiger Serve Day and Reddie to Serve both “have a tradition in place to serve our community,” said Donnie Whitten, chamber president. “Both organizations are made up of young people in our community, many of whom are not from Arkadelphia.

“Every year you’ll see these groups out working at our schools, cleaning up playgrounds … doing any project in the community that needs done,” added Whitten, who also serves as superintendent of the Arkadelphia Public School District. “We are very proud tonight and privileged to honor these organizations.”

“For 125 years it’s been good to be a neighbor to Arkadelphia,” said Ian Cosh, Ouachita’s vice president for community and international engagement, “and on behalf of the students, I want to say thank you so much.”

Tiger Serve Day is a program of Ouachita’s Ben M. Elrod Center for Family and Community and has been serving the Arkadelphia community semi-annually for 14 years. Ouachita students, faculty and staff have logged more than 47,300 hours of community service through Tiger Serve Day since the program’s inception in 1997.

For more information about the Elrod Center and Tiger Serve Day, visit www.obu.edu/elrod or contact Ian Cosh at [email protected] or (870) 245-5321.

By Brooke Zimny