Honors college freshmen looking to give back to the Tuscaloosa community and meet some new friends need to look no further than Alabama Action.

The program, run by the University of Alabama’s Honors College, brings together incoming freshmen for projects in local schools.

Fernanda Lima, student director of Alabama Action and a junior majoring in accounting, and Alex Murray, logistics director of Alabama action and a senior majoring in accounting, worked to make the project possible.

Lima said the students paint, landscape and renovate schools. The program typically chooses two elementary schools for the weeklong sessions, but chose Hillcrest Middle School this year.

“We were approached by Kathryn Merritt, who is the director of external relations for the University,” C’Kiimba Hobbs, principal of Hillcrest Middle School since 2007, said.

“She has some ties to Hillcrest High School, and she thought of us as [a] possible school for Alabama Action to work with.”

The Honors freshmen work with students during the day and sit for lectures on socio-economic issues in the community during the evenings. Lima said the evening lectures included a speech by Mayor Walt Maddox about the dynamics of Tuscaloosa.

Participation in the program earned freshmen a one-hour credit towards their required Honors hours, Lima said.

Hobbs said the program’s work came at a good time for the school, especially considering economic conditions and school budgets.           

“This has been such a blessing, and they have made such a positive impact on our school, Hobbs said. “Some of the areas on campus have not been painted in years, and they also made some improvements, such as an outdoor classroom and landscaping our courtyard.”

Hobbs described working with the program as a positive and easy experience.

“Communication between the school and the Honors program has been great,” Hobbs said. “Fernanda Lima and Alex Murray were always available if I had any questions or concerns.

“They did an excellent job of keeping informed about the projects,” Hobbs said. “The success of our partnership is attributed to their leadership.”

Amy Randazzo, a freshman majoring in biology who participated in the Aug. 8-14 program, said volunteering in the community was a large part of her decision to participate.

“I love volunteering,” Randazzo said. “It’s a great way to meet people and volunteer and help out.”

Randazzo said among the renovations and repairs, the project worked on the school’s gym, library and computer lab.

She said the project did not focus solely on construction and fixing the school.

“We’ve been spending 45 minutes to an hour with [6th graders], helping them transition to middle school,” Randazzo said.

For Lima, the project is about more than course credit or having something to do.

“For me, Alabama Action has always meant a lot,” Lima said.