UA Dance Marathon is a student run organization that partners with the Tuscaloosa and Birmingham area to raise funds for Children’s Hospital of Alabama in Birmingham. This organization collects donations throughout the year through different events. The total amount of funds raised is announced at the 10-hour, no-sitting Dance Marathon. Each hour is themed, and participants are encouraged to dress up for each theme and enjoy games and treats. Participants also spend valuable time speaking with patients of Children’s Hospital and hearing their personal stories.
“I think the best part of the day is seeing the kids and families that have benefited from the organization,” Jessie Langford, a senior majoring in consumer science, said. “It’s extremely rewarding to see how much our efforts mean to each family.”
Another way for students to get involved is through the University’s annual Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger food drive. Students, faculty and Alabama staff compete to collect more non-perishable food items for the West Alabama Food Bank than Auburn University. The competition has taken place in West Alabama since 1994. The kick-off event for this eight-week competition is Oct. 13 and will feature games, lunch and voting on who will get a pie in the face at the end of the drive. The food drive culminates with the Iron Bowl on Nov. 29.
Sleep Out on the Quad is held in the spring by the Center for Sustainable Service and Volunteerism to raise awareness for homelessness and hunger. Students are given minimal materials for the night on the Quad in an attempt to gain a better understanding of the daily lives of those who are without a home. During the night, students participate in various activities to further their understanding of the homeless, such as making blankets, listening to speakers and watching films on the topic. The University will advertise the event and its exact date and time in Spring 2015.
Off campus, Tuscaloosa’s One Place is a family resource center that provides after-school programs and summer academic programs to children throughout the Tuscaloosa area. TOP provides UA students an opportunity to mentor young people who may not otherwise have a positive role model. Along with year-round service opportunities through mentorship, students can volunteer to participate in the annual carnivals hosted by TOP throughout the year.
“Numerous university student organizations have tables at these carnivals, and it is a big turnout for kids of all ages around Tuscaloosa,” Bailey Chandler, a senior majoring in psychology, said.
Through these events, money and awareness on the needs of local families are raised.
A mentoring opportunity for students at the University of Alabama is through Big Brother Big Sister, an organization that provides mentorship to children living in a single parent home, growing up in poverty or coping with parental incarceration. Many different student groups on campus are involved with Big Brother/Big Sister, and it is an opportunity to donate time to local children in need of a role model.
There are countless opportunities on campus and in the community to get involved. For more information about these and other nonprofit organizations available to students, visit the Center for Sustainable Service and Volunteerism at volunteer.ua.edu .
