Written by Aguiele Ndoungla, Writer
On Saturday April 17, with approximately 130 students participating and the help of professors Dr. Peter Schulze, Dr. Keith Kisselle, Dr. Mari Elise Ewing, the 11th edition of GreenServe took place. GreenServe is an annual campus-wide service event which aims at fostering community and environmental wellness. It is organized by Thinking Green, the environmental organization of Austin College presided over by Abbigal Maeng and supported by Service Station, the service organization of Austin College.
Prior to the day of the event, students have several options to choose from and select where they want to serve. This year there were a total of 12 original sites, out of which eight projects took place, with the rest either being cancelled or not having enough volunteers. Eisenhower State Park, Sneed Prairie, and the Sherman Community Garden counted as some of the most popular sites.
During the week of GreenServe or GreenWeek, a number of events are organized around a theme to promote GreenServe. “This year it was Jumanji themed,” mentioned Maeng, who had been planning for these social gathering opportunities.
This 11th edition is special because “it marks a comeback from a time of uncertainty and provides inspiration for even more promising Greenserves in the future,” said Maeng.
Collaboration with SOMA, the Austin College student art organization, helped build further excitement for the service event. Some of these events were an explorative outdoor scavenger hunt with QR codes for a Rocket Book prize and a movie night showing Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.