VOLUNTARY PARTY Honors College students help entertain children at community middle school event 0 n Sept. 21 the Honors College, women's social club Pi Theta Phi and men's social club Gamma Sigma Phi teamed up with Searcy Southwest Middle School to host a block party for the middle school students and their families. It was the second year the school hosted the event, hoping to make it an annual tradition. The school reached out to the Honors College and other organizations on campus for help in making the day a success. "The block party's purpose was to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for the school's community to come together and just get to know each other," Honors Council president junior Kinsey Starks said. Over 600 people from the community attended the block party which featured various games and activities. Kids played softball, made paper airplanes and had hula hooping contests. A local snow cone truck parked in the lot to supply extra refreshments, though dinner was served to all participants at no cost. Some activities were more educational; tables were set up with books, encouraging students to get involved with reading. Senior Tori Willis, secretary of the Honors Council, said she hoped that Harding's participation in the event would provide service to the community in a meaningful way. "This project was a way to interact with people in the Searcy community in a place where help was needed,'' Willis said. "We hope that our efforts in this and other projects show not only the mission of Harding but also the heart of Christ." While it was easy for organizations to focus on themselves so early in the school year, Starks said that this event showed how service was an Honors College priority, not just an afterthought. "We were able to get involved with people outside of Harding and influence the lives of children we may never see again," Starks said. "We hope to have left a positive impression on the kids, their families and Southwest Middle School. In addition, we hope to have represented Harding University and our God well. It was not about what we could gain by helping. It was about what we could give to the community." However, the block party was not without benefit to the college students. The three organizations used the block party to involve the university's freshmen in their activities. Social clubs reached out to those interested in joining, and the Honors College showed new members how to get involved in their overall mission. "I think that freshmen need to be involved in whatever they can, as soon as they can," sophomore Honors College member Riley George said. "The block party was a great thing for me. It helps you become more adjusted to the college life and form more and better relationships with all kinds of people. This activity definitely gave me some indication of the types of things that the Honors College tries to be a part of, and it made me eager to see what other projects they have in store." The block party was a success, both for the school community and the university students, because it accomplished a sense of unity within and between two separate groups of people. Landis Tindell/JP Baker 850 PEOPLE l 50volunteers 8 3 volunteer groups activites planned: 95
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