Ouachita’s Tiger Serve Day volunteers top 70,000 service hours since 1997
April 13, 2015
- OBU News BureauA total of 585 Ouachita Baptist University students, faculty and staff gathered April
11 for the university’s 37th consecutive Tiger Serve Day, a semi-annual community service emphasis that stretches
back 18 years to 1997.
The volunteers were organized into 80 teams, completing 109 projects throughout the
Arkadelphia community. Tiger Serve Day assignments range from raking leaves and washing
windows to small repair and painting projects.
Tiger Serve Day consistently is one of the largest community service events in the
state. Saturday’s event marked the 16th semester in a row that the number of volunteers topped 500, including a record 1,003
participants in the fall of 2011. Since its inception, Tiger Serve Day volunteers
have completed a total of more than 70,000 community service hours.
“I think it's pretty cool to see our campus come together to serve the community,”
said Taylor Graves, a sophomore psychology major from Hot Springs, Ark. “Not many
people have the opportunity to say that they have done something like this, and I
love how it is such a special time for Ouachita and the Arkadelphia community.”
“One thing I look forward to each semester about Tiger Serve Day is the relationships
built with the people we serve,” noted Montana McAdams, a sophomore biology major
from El Dorado, Ark. “It's fun to just be able to get a group of friends together
and serve the people in our community by taking care of simple yard work or cleaning
some things around the house.”
The student-led community service effort is sponsored by Ouachita’s Ben M. Elrod Center
for Family and Community with Sodexo providing breakfast and lunch for the volunteers.
The Spring 2015 Tiger Serve Day leadership team included 25 Ouachita students who
took responsibility for publicity, teams, projects and logistics. This semester’s
team chairs included Treslyn Shipley, a senior art major from Arlington, Texas; publicity;
Anna Sikes, a Christian studies major from Greenbrier, Ark., teams; Rachel Wicker,
a Christian studies and mass communications major from Benton, Ark.; projects; and
David Willhite, a Christian studies and history major from Rowlett, Texas, logistics.
“When we serve, it reminds us of who we are as Ouachitonians,” said Judy Duvall, assistant
director of the Elrod Center. “We want to invest in our community and are always proud
to have such a large group do so.”
For more information about Tiger Serve Day, visit www.obu.edu/serve or call the Elrod Center at (870) 245-5320.
Photos by Maddie Brodell
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