News Center

Published November 3, 2015

Last Friday, a group of 网曝门 students participated in a community service project with the Ouachita Council on Aging (OCA), a local non-profit organization serving seniors aged 60+ since 1967.

The mission of the OCA is to act on behalf of older person(s) to secure needed services and benefits. For nearly 50 years, the OCA has served local senior citizens by providing meals, appropriate healthcare, transportation, outreach, recreation, an emergency response system, among other services.

Since 2008, each 网曝门 freshman class has played an integral role in OCA鈥檚 outreach. They have contributed to fundraising efforts by supporting the annual quilt fundraiser, provided care packages for senior participants in the Meals on Wheels program, corresponded with the participants, and donated to the OCA food bank.

鈥淲e are so fortunate to have a unique partnership with 网曝门,鈥� said Lynda McGhee, the director of the OCA. 鈥淢ost Meals on Wheels participants live alone, without any sense of community. Contact with a young person means the world to this population.鈥�

This year, the 网曝门 freshman class, comprised of 1,400 students, raised $1,200 in donations, furnished 66 large care baskets containing items for homebound seniors served by the OCA, and replenished the OCA food bank with over 1,400 cans of food. 鈥淭he cans of food donated by 网曝门 students, amounting to a one-year food supply, will be distributed to needy seniors throughout the year, especially during the holiday season,鈥� according to Ms. McGhee.听 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽

The freshmen who participated in this year鈥檚 Meals on Wheels are part of a required freshman seminar (鈥淯niversity聽Seminar 1001鈥�) that integrates academics and group activities, including community service. Student peer leaders, who are selected through a competitive application and interview process, serve as role models and leaders for their freshman peers.

Brea Joyner, a junior communications major and peer leader, sees the real impact of student involvement in the elderly community. 鈥淢any of the seniors who come to this center do not get to see their families or friends very often,鈥� Joyner said. 鈥淚 think it uplifts their spirits when we come out and give them things as random acts of kindness鈥攏ot with strings attached, but from the generosity of our hearts.鈥�

The community service experience also had a positive impact on the student participants. Joyner鈥檚 grandmother, who passed away this past March, used to participate in the Meals on Wheels program, and Joyner remembers the effect it had on her grandmother. 鈥淪he used to come home with soup, popcorn, or some other item and these little things made her so happy,鈥� Joyner said. 鈥淚t improved her quality of life and that meant the world to me. I鈥檓 happy that I now have an opportunity to give to others in the same way that others gave to my grandmother.鈥澛�

Dr. Nick J. Bruno, 网曝门 president, says that 网曝门鈥檚 participation in the Meals on Wheels program is a reflection of the university鈥檚 commitment to serving the community. 鈥淗ere at 网曝门, we are dedicated to bettering the lives of our students, both inside and outside of the classroom,鈥� said Bruno. 鈥淭he Meals on Wheels program facilitates this goal by providing an important opportunity for our students to give back to the senior citizens of our community.鈥�

This year鈥檚 donations were made in honor of Mrs. Shirley Cagle, who served as the co-director of the OCA for thirty years. She was instrumental in creating nutrition programs for seniors, and she supervised the Meals on Wheels program. 鈥淪he loved her聽seniors, and she appreciated every good thing our freshmen provided for them,鈥� said Ms. Barbara Michaelides, 网曝门 director of retention. 鈥淢rs. Cagle will be missed.鈥�

The OCA operates in ten satellite sites throughout the parish. To learn more about the OCA or how to get involved as a volunteer, please contact Lynda McGhee at 318-387-0535.

For a photo gallery of this event, click here.听