Volunteers gear up for Tarleton’s annual Service Day, Round Up

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STEPHENVILLE (March 8, 2019) — Tarleton State University is gearing up for two full days of helping the community — Service Day on Thursday, March 21, and Round Up on Saturday, March 30.

Both are part of an annual week of activities supporting Tarleton’s core value of service.

On Service Day, Tarleton volunteers address community needs by turning classroom learning into service experiences that enhance academic skills.

“Service Day teaches our students multiple components of service,” said Dr. Denae Dorris, director of Tarleton’s Center for Transformative Learning. “First, we hope to engage students by connecting their professional disciplines to service to the larger community. We also want students to connect knowledge and skills learned in the classroom with meeting a community need.”

Faculty and staff partner with area non-profits, community organizations, neighborhood coalitions, school districts, municipal organizations, state governmental agencies and other groups for Service Day opportunities.

Last year’s projects ranged from preparing free tax returns for qualified individuals, to preserving and laying brick pavers at the Stephenville Historical House Museum and helping teachers at area schools with Special Olympics.

More than 3,600 students volunteered 12,000 hours in 2018.

“The impact on both students and our communities makes all of the hard work and planning more than worth it,” said Courtney Shetters Gann, a senior intern at the Center for Transformative Learning who is involved with Service Week planning. “My experience with Service Day has made my time at Tarleton worthwhile.”

The day culminates with Service Fest, a celebration of the university’s dedication to service. The event features music, games and food beginning at 5 p.m. at Heritage Park in Stephenville.

Students, faculty and staff roll up their sleeves Saturday, March 30, for Tarleton’s 21st annual Round Up, helping local residents with everything from cleaning windows to general lawn and garden work. A student-led, student-initiated project, Round Up enlists about 1,500 volunteers who help with more than 150 projects in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco and Midlothian.

For more information on Service Week activities, visit www.tarleton.edu/weekofservice.

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