SHERMAN, TEXAS—Austin College students have a unique focus on service, as more than 500 students will demonstrate Saturday, November 3, during the College’s Great Day of Service. Students will work at nearly 50 locations benefitting non-profits across Texoma.

Students are called to help with projects of all kinds. At the therapeutic riding center Hannah’s Horseshoes for Hope, volunteers will paint, clean, and work on fencing. Students will make lunches at Grand Central Station food kitchen, and will organize bingo for patients at Beacon Hill Nursing Home.

“Service is part of our campus culture, and we are privileged to be able to share our time and energy with these many excellent organizations,” said President Marjorie Hass. “It is my hope that the work of our students will be beneficial far beyond this weekend.”

During last year’s event, Austin College students raked and gathered leaves for elderly residents in one local neighborhood.

President Hass will be a featured speaker on Saturday, November 3, at 8:30 a.m. for the Great Day of Service kickoff in the Wright Campus Center Dining Hall. Students attending are asked to bring canned goods, which will benefit Helping Hands Food Pantry of Denison.

This is the 16th year the College has organized the Great Day of Service event, which complements the “Great Days of Service” sponsored by area churches during the summer. Because few students are at Austin College during the summer, a fall event allows students to give back to the community. The event is coordinated by the student-led Service Station and led by co-chairs Michael Luk and Naureen Dharini, both Austin College seniors. 

Austin College is a leading national independent liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas. Founded in 1849, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original charter and name, the college is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA). Recognized nationally for academic excellence in the areas of international education, pre-professional training, and leadership studies, Austin College is one of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives.