92 let's get The Office of Community Connection allowed students to be actively involved in the Searcy community. In spring 2019, the Office of Community Connection was established to offer an opportunity for Harding students, faculty and staff to connect with the surrounding community and serve others. The office offered public services to the people of Searcy as it strove to make a social impact by helping the Harding community identify issues that needed attention. Dr. Andrew Baker, assistant professor of Bible and director of the Mitchell Center, said there was a great need outside of Harding that was often overlooked. "At Harding, for a long time we have done a great job of sending students over the ocean," Baker said. "We haven't done so good with sending students across Race Street. It's a both and; not one or the other." Senior Parker Pruitt and other students prayed and fellowshipped with community members who lived near Harding's campus. He said his experiences working with that ministry showed him how great this division was. "There's a big divide between the Harding community and the [Searcy] community itself," Pruitt said. The office planned to have three pa1ts: the Community Collaboration Hub, the Center for Social Impact Leadership, and the Wayne and Alice Kellar Center for Community Engagement. The Office of Community Collaboration, located on Center Avenue, served as a space for businesses and community members to hold meetings and events. The Center for Social Impact Leadership was a program that worked within many of the University's colleges to provide training for students who wanted to impact their community. The Wayne and Alice Kellar Center for Community Engagement planned to offer tutoring, parenting courses, English classes and other classes. Baker said the Office of Community Connection concentrated throughout the fall 2019 semester on being intentional in how Harding could be involved in the community. Volunteers worked on local issues that could be resolved with the correct resources. The Waldron Center helped with social media and public engagement for local small businesses and nonprofits. The Community Collaboration HUB also created a space for local nonprofits to hold meetings throughout the fall and create ministries with the intention to serve others. The Office of Community Connection continued to provide unique opportunities through a variety of ministries that focused on love and service toward the community, creating less of a gap between Harding and the city of Searcy. This was seen in organizations like Lamplight Ministry, which provided children a homework club that built relationships through play, work and conversation. Senior Tatum Watson, co-director of Lamplight Ministry, expressed the importance of ministry as it served a greater purpose for the community. "I believe that Lamplight helps merge the gap between Harding students and families of the Searcy community," Watson said. "Our overall mission is to be a light to the children ofthe trailer park as we work with them four days a week." The Office of Community Connection and those involved worked to lessen that divide in the 2019-20 school year. story by Will Allen
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==