Ashtin Hyde, Staff Writer
Photo credit: Daniel Ware
The freshman leadership groups Apollos and Hill Climbers are working together to make a difference within the Rome community by organizing the Teddy Bear Drive. This event is aimed at providing teddy bears for children and women around the Rome community who have been abused or a part of domestic violence.
To make a difference in the lives of others, it takes the effort of one leader. This event is sure to be successful due to the fact that it is being ran by numerous leaders. Apollos, for men, and Hill Climbers, for women, are organizations made up of dedicated, determined, and giving individuals who have the urge to be a leader on our campus and beyond. They were evaluated through an application process and then selected based on their character, leadership qualities, and their willingness to serve others.
When it came time to organize a community service project, the groups of young men and women set out to come up with an idea that could benefit and impact people in the Rome community. Freshman psychology major Allison Rogers suggested the idea of collecting teddy bears to give to local organizations that helped women and children. “I came up with this idea because we did something similar to it at my high school where we collected teddy bears for our local boys home,” said Rogers. “When I found out that we needed a community service project I thought that it would be really cool to do it again and everyone else agreed so too.”
The students decided to make this event last for the whole month of March to give others on campus a time to have a hand in it. “Our goal is to collect new and lightly used stuffed animals to donate to The Open Door Home and The Hospitality House,” said freshman biology major Justin Nguyen. “Both of these are local organizations that help children who come from homes that cannot provide things such as stuffed animals and women who have been in abusive situations. It is a way that we can try to show them that they are loved and always will be loved.”
Assistant Director of Student Life, Cassie Brown, is over Apollos and Hill Climbers and feels that this event will really get the freshmen involved to see a need within the community and then encourage them to take the initiative to do something about that need. Brown said, “Students need to realize that we are blessed so that we can have the opportunity to bless others. We need to use the opportunity that we have to its fullest potential.”
Currently there are drop boxes in front of the cafeteria and inside Fitton Student Union for students to leave their teddy bears, or any other kind of stuffed animal. On Monday, March 30th people from both of the local organizations will be coming on campus to pick up everything that has been donated. Students are encouraged to donate a teddy bear by then so that we can give others a piece of hope and comfort and show them the love that they all deserve.
