GC’s GIVE program is a blessing

Published 8:00 am Sunday, March 20, 2016

This year, Georgia College’s GIVE Center marks its 20th anniversary. An anniversary kickoff celebration was held last month and in April festivities will be held marking this special milestone.

Every year thousands of Georgia College students donate countless hours to local community organizations due to the GIVE Center’s efforts as facilitator, pairing students with nonprofits that spark their interests.

The GIVE Center serves as a clearinghouse for volunteer efforts, connecting Georgia College’s student body with the local community.

Not only do these organizations benefit through the volunteerism, but the students gain as well, discovering facets of the Milledgeville and Baldwin County community that they likely never would have encoutered were it not for the GIVE Center.

The greatest reward, however, is the self-satisfaction these students receive knowing that they’ve helped make an impact, and they also gain professional experience in the process. And none of it would likely be possible without the GIVE Center.

Through the center Georgia College students, faculty and staff become involved in campus wide, local community, national and international volunteer efforts in a range of areas, including fine arts, health, minority issues, animals, disasters, elderly, poverty and general service. The gains include the students developing professional skills, learning to manage their time as they balance school, personal lives and community service. They also learn how to improve their organizational and communication skills as they plan and execute many of the GIVE Center’s activities.

What began as just an idea in a small office 20 years ago has certainly left its mark, not only on the Georgia College campus but throughout the community as well.

Students in college towns frequently get viewed through a negative scope, and Milledgeville is, in many instances, no exception. But through the GIVE Center, students and community coexist and learn and grow through each other. The imprint remains even after these students graduate, and everyone is all the better for it.

No matter their dreams and endeavors, as these students step out into the world, transition from young adults to working professionals, they take with them a newfound perspective on what it means to give back that they hopefully carry into the communities they someday call home as a practice they continue throughout their lives.