A graphic shows the details of Athens Community Career Academy’s upcoming Service Academy Day on Oct. 22 and pictures of ACCA students volunteering around Athens. Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful Program Education Specialist Stacy Smith spoke at the last Service Academy Day on Jan. 15 and found it a good way to encourage students to find hands-on experiences in their community. “(Students) can learn about the environment, plastic pollution, planting or gardening, but to know that (volunteering is) something you can do that benefits your community and the environment (is) very important,” Smith said. “(You) have responsibility for making the world you want to see.” Photos courtesy of Halo Smart, graphic by Emlyn McKinney
The Athens Community Career Academy will be hosting several guest speakers from Athens volunteer organizations at its Service Academy Day on Oct. 22.
Cleaning up litter around waterways. Sorting donated clothes and food. Preparing meals for unhoused families. Athens Community Career Academy students attending the annual Service Academy Day will learn about each of these volunteer opportunities.
This year’s Service Academy Day will be held on Oct. 22 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. during ACCA’s Advisement, where guest speakers from 20 different Athens volunteer organizations will rotate through each ACCA class to give students a quick overview of their programs and how students can get involved.
“One of the things that (the ACCA emphasizes) is that we want to grow (students) up to be contributing members of (the) community, and a key way to do that is to understand all the organizations that serve your community and figure out how you can help them,” ACCA Workforce Development Coordinator Halo Smart said.
An infographic shows seven of the organizations that spoke at the Athens Community Career Academy’s Jan. 15 Service Academy Day. Love.Craft Athens Community Coordinator Emma Brisendine, who spoke at that event, enjoyed teaching students about Love.Craft Athens’ purpose and volunteer opportunities. “I always look forward to and enjoy getting to tell people about Love.Craft when people probably haven’t heard of us before,” Brisendine said. “You never know who’s in the room and who they know that might benefit from coming to Love.Craft or (want) to participate in events.” Graphic by Emlyn McKinney
Love.Craft Athens Community Coordinator Emma Brisendine, who spoke at the previous Service Academy Day, values how the event brought more awareness to Love.Craft Athens’ mission of working with disabled adults, despite the organization not noticing an increase in volunteers afterward.
“Some people think the only way they can support (an organization) is through money or coming to volunteer, but simply giving an organization and their mission a few minutes of your time to learn more about them is equally powerful,” Brisendine said.
“One of the things that (the ACCA emphasizes) is that we want to grow (students) up to be contributing members of (the) community, and a key way to do that is to understand all the organizations that serve your community and figure out how you can help them.”
— Halo Smart,
ACCA Workforce Development Coordinator
Alongside the emphasis on supporting the community, this event is also used to help students get community service hours for resumes, college applications and the ACCA’s Service Award, given to the ACCA senior with the most verified hours at graduation.
“(High schoolers are) looking at college and volunteer hours, (and) have more capacity to do things because they don’t have to have their parents (drive) them places, so it’s a good age to catch them at,” Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful Program Education Specialist Stacy Smith, who spoke at the last Service Academy Day, said.
