Ashley Barfield didn’t mind getting a little dirty at the Oconee Valley American Red Cross Service Center on Wednesday morning.

As she took a break from patting down potting soil, pulling up poison ivy and raking out weeds, Barfield reflected on how the work from her and 32 other students from the K - 12 Brentwood Academy in Sandersville would affect the OVRC.

“I like getting dirty and I love to help out others,” Barfield said. “This is all just to help other people out. We’ve done this before, such as with a community center last year. It’s been pretty good. The weather hasn’t been cooperating, but this will all look beautiful when we’re done.”

The students from Brentwood were there as part of Hands on Georgia week in Milledgeville, which began on Saturday and continues through Sunday.

Hands On Georgia is a statewide network that “supports innovative volunteer approaches to meeting Georgia’s critical needs through service and civic engagement,” according to the organization’s Web site at handsongeorgia.org.

Hands on Milledgeville works like a local Chamber of Commerce for organizations that work with volunteers — mostly non profits — to collaborate, communicate and plan for volunteer opportunities.

“It’s been going good so far,” Megan Tiedeman, one of two AmeriCorps volunteers through Hands On Milledgeville, said as she assisted the students with trimming bushes and raking up debris. “These students have been quite helpful and this is a great beautification and landscaping project for them.”

Even bus driver Merion Sheppard, who brought the students from Washington to Baldwin County, got in on the act during Wednesday’s

clean-up.“I think everything looks good. I’ve been involved with landscaping myself. These kids are doing great and it’s all for a good cause,” Sheppard said.

A few blocks away on Wayne Street at the Habitat for Humanity offices and ReStore, some of the students worked to replace lighting fixtures, sweep floors, re-organize merchandise and inventory and move some of the heavier items to other locations.

Ronald Burkhart teaches history, government and economics at Brentwood and traveled with his students to be present for Wednesday’s Hands on Milledgeville activities.

“This is the fifth year we’ve come to Milledgeville and to Habitat,” Burkhart said. “As part of attending Brentwood, the students have a 10-year community service requirement. This helps them meet those requirements and allows them to give something back to the community.”

Despite the difficult (and sometimes dusty) tasks, Burkhart said he has hardly ever heard complaints from those students that have participated in Hands on Milledgeville-related projects.

“It’s hard work, but they always do a good job,” Burkhart said.

For 16-year-old Josh Brannen, the day was a productive one.

“I’ve been working on the lights and putting lights in where they’re needed,” Brannen said. “We’ve also organized paint shelves and done other things for Habitat while we’ve been here. I feel really good about this. It feels good to do something for the community.”

If the comments from Habitat Executive Director Jack Hickey are any indication, there’s a very good chance the students will return again next year.

“Everything seems to be brighter in our ReStore and everything seems to be more organized and cleaner,” Hickey said. “This was vital to us. It really needed to be done, primarily because we’ve had so many items that we’ve been selling that haven’t been very visible. The results of today’s work will be a stronger product placement for sale and a stronger Habitat for Humanity.”

Hands on Milledgeville week will continue through Saturday.

The GIVE Center and Hands on Milledgeville is currently holding a book drive for McDonald City Park Academy in New Orleans.

The drive is for books for kindergarten through eight-grade students, according to Tiedeman.

“We started this week, but we’ll be collecting them through October,” Tiedeman said. “Anyone who wants to donate books can drop them off at the GIVE Center in Ennis Hall on Hancock Street at Georgia College & State University.”

McDonald City Park Academy was one of the first schools to re-open after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The book drive project was created by Katrina evacuees Jah-Wann Gailmore and his mother Diedra Monroe.

A Friday river clean-up event will take place near Blandy Hills Elementary School while the annual Potato Drop will occur on Saturday at the West Campus location of Georgia College & State University.

To find out how you can donate books to McDonald City Park Academy or volunteer for Hands on Milledgeville events such as the potato drop or river clean up, call the GCSU GIVE Center at (478) 445-5700 or e-mail mtiedeman@handsonmilledgeville.org or info@handsonmilledgeville.org.