Georgia Southern University Students Volunteer More Than 26,000 Hours during 2010-2011 Academic Year

June 21, 2011

Georgia Southern University students spent 26,014 hours serving on campus, in the community and around the world during the 2010-2011 academic year.

“Our students rolled up their sleeves and went to work helping people from many walks of life and with many different needs during the last academic year,” said Georgia Southern University Director of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement Todd Deal, Ph.D. “While balancing their work in the classroom, our students gave thousands of hours of their time to make life better for others around them.”

During the 2010-2011 academic year, the efforts of a group of students culminated with the launching of the Hearts and Hands Clinic in Statesboro, Ga. which provides basic medical and dental care to those who cannot afford it. Other examples include students who volunteered to promote sustainability efforts on campus and in the community, helped organize a holiday gift drive to provide presents for more than 800 people in need, and traveled abroad where they volunteered with orphans in Honduras and spent time working in a children’s hospital in Egypt.

“We feel that a very important part of higher education is giving our students opportunities to experience the value of investing their lives in serving others,” continued Deal. “There is very valuable insight and leadership experience that comes with working hard to help someone else. There are some lessons that cannot be learned from books or in a classroom and that is why we look for opportunities for students to serve. We hope our students leave Georgia Southern knowing that whatever their interest or ability, there will always be someone who needs – and will be very grateful for – their help.”