CHARLOTTE, N.C./Nov. 11, 2018 – JCSU students have been giving back with gusto for the 2018 holiday season, via a series of community projects.
On Nov. 11, 2018 students gave of their time and energy for Veterans Day with the Message in a Bottle campaign. More than 50 students showed up at the New Science Center to write messages of encouragement and support to local active-duty veterans. Landry Frison ’19, an active duty South Carolina National Guard, and Sameerah Williams ’19, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, also sat on a panel with members of the Coast Guard who came to speak to students about scholarship monies and opportunities for officer training school.
On Nov. 20, students made over 100 sandwiches to pass out to homeless and indigent people who congregate Uptown near Charlotte’s transportation hub.
And over the last few weeks students have been supporting Pledge a Meal, where a $7 donation sponsors one meal for a resident at Urban Ministry Center, a nearby homeless shelter, on Dec. 1. The drive, which runs from Nov. 16-Nov. 30, raised $150 in its first few days. “It’s important to show local families and individuals that we care about them every day, not just Thanksgiving,” said Shakoya Brown ’21.
The Psychology Club coordinated Baskets for Bruns, where they are sponsoring entire Thanksgiving dinners for three families who are connected to Bruns Academy, the elementary school nearest to JCSU.
And on Nov. 12-16, JCSU for Reproductive Justice and the student chapters of the National Council of Negro Women and Planned Parenthood worked together to gather feminine hygiene products to donate to the Women’s Shelter of Charlotte. Dozens of boxes of tampons and pads were collected during the drive. “A woman's menstrual cycle is something she cannot choose to stop, and the right to these products should be easy to obtain just like other services,” said Quaneisha Payne ’19, president of JRJ and 2nd vice president of NCNW. “Our goal is to help a community of women, rather than just one or two.”
In addition to student-led efforts, the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement, University Communications and Marketing and the James B. Duke Memorial Library are presenting a Holiday Study Break Dec. 3. In addition to having fun, sampling Coca-Cola products and winning prizes, students can uplift community members in need by donating new washcloths and towels to the Queen City Assisted Living Facility only a few miles up the road.
Golden Bulls know charity begins at home, and we are blessed to be an example of love and care this holiday season!
