UA’s Honors College Schedules Week of Action-Oriented Service Activities

Editors/Producers Note: A Media Day is scheduled from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9, for Alabama Action at Vance Elementary School. Students will perform outdoor and indoor service tasks to prepare for the start of school. Contact Richard LeComte, media relations, at rllecomte@ur.ua.edu or 205/394-3040.

 TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — More than 200 University of Alabama Honors College freshmen and upper-class leaders will begin the fall semester with community service projects through Alabama Action, Outdoor Action and Black Belt Action from Monday, Aug. 8, to Friday, Aug. 12. A fourth program, Health Action, begins this year and will run Aug. 8-12 as well.

Alabama Action

Alabama Action provides a student-created service-learning experience for 150 Honors College freshmen. This year, students will paint, prepare classrooms and create outdoor learning spaces during the morning at Vance Elementary School and Brookwood Middle School. For more information on Alabama Action, contact Richard LeComte, media relations, at rllecome@ur.ua.edu or 205/348-3782.

Outdoor Action

Led by Randy Mecredy of University of Alabama Museums, Outdoor Action provides 80 incoming freshmen with the opportunity to engage in meaningful environmental projects throughout the Black Warrior River and Cahaba River watersheds.

This year, students will perform a series of projects at Moundville Archaeological Park, Foscue Park at Demopolis, Deerlick Park at Holt, Lake Lurleen State Park and Hurricane Creek. This outdoor experience focuses on biodiversity and introduces participants to the local environment, local and global environmental issues, and provides an opportunity to become acclimated to the Honors College experience.

For a daily schedule, contact Richard LeComte in media relations at rllecomte@ur.ua.edu. For more information on daily locations, contact student directors Stephen Turner at 423/255-5961 and Cokie Thompson  at 901/596-6645.

Black Belt Action

Black Belt Action is a week-long service-learning program designed to provide approximately 30 incoming freshmen a focused, transformative experience in Marion. This year, 33 Honors incoming freshmen from 15 states will be at the Francis Marion School and Renaissance Marion, a nonprofit in Marion. Eight Honors upperclassmen will work as student leaders. Student participants and student leaders will commute each morning from Tuscaloosa to Marion. Most of the service activities will take place Monday-Thursday.

Projects include revitalizing a downtown storefront for a new nonprofit office; refreshing the hallways of the public schools with school colors, murals and motivational quotes; and installing a “Hall of Champions” celebrating students’ academic and co-curricular achievements. Black Belt Action is project of the UA Honors College’s 57 Miles Initiative. For onsite information, contact director D.J. Jackson at 205/393-8553.

Health Action

Health Action provides a group of incoming freshman with a glimpse into the issues of poverty and health disparities. Students will serve at West Alabama clinics through the Focus First organization, which provides vision screenings for low-income students throughout the United States. These students are provided the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the UA and greater Alabama community. For more information on the program, contact Alicia Browne, director of college relations for the Honors College, at 205/348-5557.

Contact

Richard LeComte, media relations, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782

Source

Alicia Browne, director of college relations for the Honors College, at 205/348-5557 or alicia.browne@ua.edu.