MACON – MerServe, Mercer's student-run service leadership board for the Macon campus, will conduct the University's annual “Be a Good NeighBEAR” service day Saturday in partnership with local neighborhood associations and Shalom Zones.
More than 300 students, along with faculty, staff and their families, are expected to participate in service projects in Beall's Hill, Bellevue, East Macon, South Macon, Village Green and Tattnall Square Park. Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful has donated supplies for trash cleanup.
“We are so excited to be continuing Mercer's 'Be a Good NeighBEAR' tradition this year, and I am especially proud of our MerServe board members for all of their hard work. This year's event has been organized by sophomore Addie Dillard, and she has done a fantastic job,” said Hannah Vann, coordinator of community engagement at Mercer.
“We are also proud to be continuing our partnerships with Macon's Shalom Zones for this event, and we are so grateful to Frank Austin of the Austin Center for Development, Craig Byron from Beall's Hill and Andy Silver of Friends of Tattnall Square Park for working so hard to ensure our students have a rewarding and engaging service experience. This is truly a community-wide effort, and we can't wait.”
Volunteers will be served breakfast, provided by the Office of Housing and Residence Life, at 8 a.m. The event will kick off at 8:15 a.m. on Cruz Plaza at the center of the Macon campus. After volunteers drive to their designated neighborhoods, they will hear a brief presentation about the history of the neighborhood and its residents. Beginning at 9 a.m., volunteers will work with neighborhood residents on revitalization projects. They will return to campus between noon and 1 p.m.
Last year, around 300 volunteers completed over 1,000 hours of service during “Be a Good NeighBEAR.”
MerServe is sponsored by Mercer's Center for Community Engagement, a clearinghouse for volunteer services at the University. For more information, visit studentaffairs.mercer.edu/campuslife/clv.
