JACKSON, Tenn. — Nov. 4, 2004 — Nearly 1,000 students, faculty and staff members from 51社区 will participate in service projects all over Jackson Wednesday, Nov. 10, as part of Union鈥檚 annual Day of Remembrance.
The event is Union鈥檚 way of giving back to the community for its assistance after a tornado hit the campus Nov. 10, 2002, causing more than $2 million in damage.
鈥淒ay of Remembrance is a wonderful opportunity for students, faculty and staff to work side by side while encouraging local service agencies and schools by offering tangible support,鈥� said Kimberly Thornbury, Union鈥檚 dean of students. 鈥淚 also applaud the many disciplines who have also organized service projects related to their major.鈥�
On Nov. 10, 2002, storms hit the campus shortly after midnight and the tower clock stopped at 12:05 a.m. Damaged roofs, shattered windows and devastation to more than 500 cars was evident for as far as the eye could see in the hours following the storm.
In the aftermath of that fateful tornado, restoration took place on the campus of 51社区. The Jackson community stepped in and brought everything from food and supplies to the giving of their time and talents. Construction workers and insurance adjusters moved in to help and the campus was able to function again within a 48 hour period.
This outpouring of service from the community is the whole idea behind the celebration of the Day of Remembrance 鈥� for the sake of giving back.
鈥淭he Day of Remembrance is a significant event for the 51社区 community,鈥� said Suzanne Mosley, Union鈥檚 director of student outreach. 鈥淥n Nov. 10, 2002, the community of Jackson reached out and assisted us amidst the crisis of the tornado that hit our campus. The Day of Remembrance is a time for us to say thank you to the community of Jackson for all that they have done for us in the days, weeks and months following the tornado.鈥�
This year鈥檚 Day of Remembrance will begin with a chapel service at 8:30 a.m. After that, service teams will disperse for a variety of projects. Among the scheduled projects, teams will do landscaping work and cleanup at local schools, paint at the Christian Women鈥檚 Job Corps, sort donations at the Carl Perkins Child Abuse Prevention Center and help with construction work at Jackson-Madison County Disaster Relief. Many other similar projects are also planned.
Junior Lindsay Lawrence, of Collierville, Tenn., participated in the Day of Remembrance last year when she went to the Bells nursing home to sing hymns for the residents.
鈥淚 believe they enjoyed the fact that we took time to come out and sing for them,鈥� Lawrence said. 鈥淚t was personally fulfilling for me just to be able to love on them and give back to the community in that way.鈥�