The new location of the Columbia County Crisis Center got some much needed repairs this past Saturday thanks to the volunteer efforts of about 40 Southern Arkansas University students.
The center, located at 200 West Calhoun, will continue providing services offered at the former center located in the Fountain Plaza Shopping Center on Main Street. These services include providing counseling to people who suffer from domestic abuse as well as coordinating a safe place for them to live while they transition into their new lives. The center will also serve as a place for the community to drop off donations such as clothing and nonperishable food items.
Students who could have spent the morning sleeping in arrived early to strip carpet and tile from the floors and dispose of unwanted items in the center. Some students also sanded the walls in preparation for new coats of paint to give the center a new feel.
Jay Hale, a sophomore from Orlando, Florida organized the event because he said he recognized the importance of the center in the community. Hale, who lived in different parts of the country, said no matter where he has lived he has maintained an active role in the community.
“I just wanted to give something back,” said Hale who is the grandson of Flossie Biddle Thomas who serves as the center’s chief executive officer and the great nephew of Bernice Parhm, who serves as the crisis coordinator
Ruby Burgess, dean of the college of education as well as president of the Columbia County Crisis Center, said she commended the volunteer effort made by the students.
“As people engaged in higher education we live in a community, and part of our responsibility is to serve the community,” Burgess said.
Darwin Moore, a senior from Smackover, Ark., and president of Phi Beta Sigma said projects such as this go hand in hand with what fraternities such as his were based on when they were founded.
“Anytime someone in the community needs help we need to come to running,” Moore said. “We are based on community service so as a brotherhood we should do this.”
SAU groups who were represented Saturday include Alpha Sigma Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Honors Hall, Phi Beta Sigma, Phi Lambda Chi, Phi Mu, Resident Hall Association and Sigma Sigma Sigma. Margie Sharp, who serves on the crisis center board, also helped out with the cleanup effort.
