The Wesleyan Way Day of Service will kick off its fourth year on Nov. 26, which precedes Giving Tuesday. This day is a day where the Kentucky Wesleyan College community focuses on giving back to its neighbors in Owensboro.
Across the area, there are many service projects happening that day. KWC’s on-campus efforts benefit Crossroads, a nonprofit organization working to combat poverty and homelessness.
“Members of the Wesleyan community have volunteered at Crossroads previously, helping to sort donations and assemble food boxes,” said Jay Helmer, associate director at KWC’s Center for Engaged Teaching and Learning. “In August, we piloted a program to turn donated t-shirts into reusable grocery bags. We donated the first batch to Crossroads and they were so popular that the shelter ran out of them. We’ll be making more during the Wesleyan Way Day of Service.”
In 2017, more than 120 students, faculty, staff and alumni contributed 417 hours, and Helmer hopes to surpass that number this year. From noon to 1 p.m. on the 26th, alumni are encouraged to join students, staff and faculty in this project.
“At Kentucky Wesleyan College, we encourage our students, faculty, and staff to live ethically in a complex world,” Helmer said. “The Wesleyan Way – We succeed with honor; we compete with integrity, we support one another, and we love one another – are principles that guide our interactions with each other and with the surrounding community.”
Helmer believes the Wesleyan Way develops individuals who demonstrate integrity, empathy, and caring, and this day of service is one way for students to give back to Owensboro and Daviess County, their adopted community.
The Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching (CETL) is helping facilitate this day and welcomes donations of unwanted t-shirts in good condition in all sizes and colors (with appropriate themes). They can be dropped of at the CETE in the library between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
