On Oct. 14, Athens Clarke County Mayor Nancy Denson’s Call to Service kicked off with a function at the Georgia Theater with more than 30 local organizations and 400 ACC residents in attendance.
By AMY HOYT– Variety Writer
With a heavy new focus on service learning in today’s society, Athens Clarke-County Mayor Nancy Denson’s “Call to Service” could not have come at a better time.
Athens-Clarke County Mayor Nancy Denson’s Call to Service is a community event intended to highlight volunteers and service being done in the greater Athens area. Spearheaded by Denson and other collaborators in Athens, this initiative will carry on for a period of ten weeks.
“There are some people that will help and do volunteer work no questions asked, most people have to be asked. What I wanted to do through (the Mayor’s Call to Service) was extend that ask to the community,” Denson said.
By extending that “ask” to people, Mayor Denson’s Call to Service has opened up service learning to the city.
The kickoff function was held on Oct. 14 at the Georgia Theatre. Students in the Master’s of Public Administration program at the University of Georgia as well as nonprofit and volunteers organizations such as Community Connection put together the event. Approximately 400 ACC residents interested in opportunities to help their community attended the event.
Various organizations handed out flyers and brochures at the call to service in an effort to reach out to the Athens community.
At the kickoff, more than 30 organizations, including the Athens Area Homeless Shelter, the American Red Cross and the Interfaith Hospitality Network, had tables covered in flyers and brochures sharing various volunteer opportunities.
CCHS First Responder Broderick Flanigan attended the event with his organization, Chess and Community Conference.
“I think (the initiative) is wonderful. I think it’s very beautiful. It’s great to see all of the organizations come together and have this positive experience, just to let people know that there are people and organizations out here that want to help and this is a way to let people know how they can go about helping their community, ” Flanigan said.
The Call to Service allowed organizations to gain new volunteers from attendees and network with other community service programs.
“I did not realize that there were this many volunteer organizations and nonprofits that are in the community, and they all have come here today together to display who they are and what they are about,” Flanigan said.
Each week, Denson plans to release a different video highlighting specific types of service organizations. She will broadcast these videos on social media sites such as YouTube so that they can be accessed by anyone.
“The focus of Monday night was to celebrate what we’re already doing, educate (and) let people know what was out there. These videos are going to keep that education going but they’re also meant to inspire other people to come out and join us,” Denson said.
Athens is an extremely diverse community. Citizens’ cultures and lifestyles vary greatly, but according to Community Outreach Liaison Jordan Long, the initiative provides that common ground among residents.
“(Denson’s) goal has been to create a culture of service and that is something she hopes will have a lasting effect on the community.” Long said.
A strong believer in community service and a member of this mentoring program, CCHS junior Barbara Kipreos understands the value of volunteering.
“If they were to do one of the Mayor’s (Calls to Service) at the high school then (students) could find out about (community service) or maybe we could do a field trip with the kids and take them to one,” Kipreos said.
Although the Call to Service has a set time of only 10 weeks, many hope to see this become an annual event. Reactions have exceeded the expectations of Denson and collaborators alike.
“We were anticipating a good response from the public but the mayor is definitely on board for continuing and doing as much as we can over the next 10 weeks,” Long said.
Long explains that there is no one group that is being specifically targeted to join this initiative.
“The target is Athens-Clarke County and if you are here in Athens-Clarke County right now, then the target is you,” Long said.
