JACKSON, Tenn. — Nov. 11, 2004 — Sarah Orr didn鈥檛 think there would be enough food for the thanksgiving baskets being filled at the Regional Inter-Faith Association鈥檚 food warehouse.
When almost 600 pounds of it arrived shortly thereafter, she was thrilled.
鈥淲e were getting ready to make thanksgiving baskets and there wasn鈥檛 enough food. Then these guys showed up and I think we鈥檙e going to be able to use it all,鈥� said Orr, a senior at 51社区. 鈥淕od has answered a lot of prayers today.鈥�
Orr was the team leader for one of more than 60 teams sent out from 51社区 as a part of the second annual Day of Remembrance. Just minutes before, another team had arrived with 594 pounds of donated food, the results of a food drive by the Union psychology department that was done in conjunction with the Day of Remembrance.
The workers at RIFA were thankful for more than just the food.
鈥淚f they weren鈥檛 here, I or a couple others of us would have to do it and it would take a lot of time and take us away from the weekly things we do,鈥� said Sarah Coker, a RIFA employee, of the team鈥檚 work. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 a big help. They鈥檙e organizing and putting things where they need to go.鈥�
All across Jackson similar stories were unfolding. Nearly 1,000 students, faculty and staff took advantage of the opportunities set up by campus ministries, student life and a group of dedicated team leaders.
鈥淲e have amazing team leaders that have been great at motivating their groups and getting people involved,鈥� said Kimberly Thornbury, dean of students. 鈥淚t truly shows how leadership is being a servant.鈥�
Day of Remembrance 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. Short of a few science classes, classes were suspended for the day to allow students and faculty to become wholly involved in service projects.
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�
When the day began with a special chapel service at 8:30 a.m., more than 300 students were already hard at work. Some had already entered community schools to tutor and aid teachers. Others were on the road heading to destinations like Shiloh National Park, where Phi Alpha Theta members worked in the cemetery.
鈥淲hat you do today will matter deeply to someone,鈥� said Union provost Carla Sanderson as she addressed the chapel. 鈥淓ven if you are working on campus.鈥�
At 9 a.m. the service closed with a prayer and teams dispersed to classrooms where they filled out release forms and gathered lunches. Most groups arrived on their sites at 9:30 a.m. and worked there until the early afternoon.
鈥淲hat they are doing today would take my husband and I at least a week or two and they鈥檙e doing it in a day,鈥� said Cathy Quinn of the Salvation Army. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e working faster than I know where to put stuff.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e here to serve,鈥� said senior Gary Snuffin, team leader at the Salvation Army project. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to have [the shed] emptied and put where it needs to go.鈥�
At noon, the shed was already empty, its contents spread across the immediate area of the Salvation Army鈥檚 parking lot to be sorted and taken into the newly renovated building.
A few miles away another team was at work doing simple outdoor maintenance at BirthChoice, clearing up leaves and washing windows and walls.
鈥淲e are doing the dirty work so BirthChoice doesn鈥檛 have to,鈥� senior Adam Winters said. 鈥淎s far as I鈥檓 concerned, they鈥檙e the real heroes. If we can come out and do some simple things for them I feel good.鈥�
Another team member at the site agreed with Winters.
鈥淢y wife and I have supported this ministry on and off over the years,鈥� math professor Brian Dawson said. 鈥淚t was a natural choice. Saving lives, helping people, it鈥檚 a good ministry to help with.鈥�
Of course, the university鈥檚 hope is that ministry through service will not wait until the next Day of Remembrance, but continue all year long.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very thankful to the agencies and school systems that allow us to serve,鈥� Thornbury said. 鈥淲e hope that exposure to these agencies will spur students to get involved long term. They say they love our one day of service, but they鈥檙e always talking about how they need help long term.鈥�