Vanderbilt students paint local fire station.NASHVILLE,
Tenn. - All across the country, people are taking time to give back to their
communities as part of the National Day of Service. Non-profits organized
numerous events here in the Volunteer state.
More than one dozen Vanderbilt
students rolled up their sleeves all in the name of service.
"We wanted to do something
special to commemorate our Founders Day as well as Martin Luther King
Day," Courtney Fleming, Vanderbilt Senior and member of the Alpha Kappa
Alpha sorority said.
They're some of the hundreds of
Hands on Nashville volunteers dedicating a few hours Saturday to spruce up fire
stations.
"It's a nice facility, but
it's sort of drab. I think the painting gave it life. I can just tell just how
much brighter the halls are," Fleming said while painting one of the
walls.
Longtime volunteer Jackie
Shrago knows the need in the community is year-round.
"Figure out when you've
got some time and realize you probably have something to donate to people who need
your help," she said.
Shrago organized a volunteer
fair at the Center for Non-Profit management to connect people with
opportunities right in their backyard. It's a way for less-visible agencies to
introduce themselves and generate support.
"I'm very delighted that
people are saying I didn't know you were out here," Navita Gunter,
President of the Cervical Cancer Coalition of Tennessee said. "But I'm so
glad to see that you are."
Agencies are willing to work
with volunteers' schedules. Nashville Fire Captain Mike Erdelyan knows
sometimes the smallest gesture has the biggest impact.
"It's just amazing that
young people will give up their weekend to do something nice like this for
firemen," he said.
