{"id":6470,"date":"2017-10-26T12:56:51","date_gmt":"2017-10-26T17:56:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/?p=6470"},"modified":"2017-10-26T12:57:52","modified_gmt":"2017-10-26T17:57:52","slug":"taylor-talks-passion-volunteering-southern-arkansas-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/2017\/taylor-talks-passion-volunteering-southern-arkansas-university\/","title":{"rendered":"Taylor talks about her passion for volunteering at Southern Arkansas University"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Serving others is not only vital to the mission of Southern Arkansas University but one of the things in life that makes Deana Taylor happy.<\/p>\n

Taylor, SAU\u2019s campus and community welfare coordinator, was recently honored by the City of Magnolia with its Citizen of the Month Award. Though recognized primarily for her contributions to Making Magnolia Blossom, a group of volunteers working to beautify the city, Taylor is involved in numerous other projects. She views volunteerism as an outreach of SAU and part of her personal ministry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have always loved volunteering,\u201d she said. \u201cIt can be challenging, but it is so worthwhile.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Trey Berry, president of SAU, lauded Taylor for her efforts. \u201cHer pure heart for volunteerism and student engagement is single-handedly changing the culture of our campus,\u201d he said. \u201cShe has a vision for inspiring our students to give back to their communities and to each other. She exemplifies all that the award represents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylor, who started working at SAU in 2013 and is an alum of 1983, points out the importance of others in her work.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf nobody else wants to do it, it\u2019s not going to happen,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are so many people who like to read to others, or cook, or paint, or mow grass. I plug in my talents where they are needed. I can do the administration, I\u2019m detail-oriented, and I love figuring out how to do things, but none of what I do would work if not for the people who get involved in each program.\u201d<\/p>\n

She applies her professional and academic background in social work to volunteering in the community. \u201cIt defines my ministry and my relationships. One of the most important things I tell people about volunteering is they should find something they love, and do it, and get their family and friends involved because that makes it fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

To maximize the volunteers on campus and in the community \u201cfor the sake of volunteerism,\u201d Taylor reaches out to SAU freshmen. \u201cI talk to the Freshman Seminar classes and inform them of all the opportunities available for them to get their five required hours of community service in the fall,\u201d she said. \u201cThey usually will hear something that grabs their interest. If not, they can call me and we\u2019ll talk some more and usually find something for them to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylor distributes a list of 40 service areas, including CCAPS Animal Shelter, Southern Christian Mission, Mulerider Kids College, Boys & Girls Club, Angel Tree, Columbia County Senior Meal Services, Special Olympics and Making Magnolia Blossom.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are so many areas that need help,\u201d she said. \u201cIf these students can go visit people in nursing homes, or help socialize animals, or gather food, or mow a lawn, they get can their hours and see firsthand how a program is run. That\u2019s something they can take back to their own communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said there are several needs that sometimes go unfulfilled for lack of volunteers. \u201cFood insecurity is an issue. We have a lot of children who don\u2019t know when their next meal is coming. That includes some University students, too, when their money runs out but they\u2019re working a job and are maybe still paying rent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Seniors in nursing homes need visitors or people to help lead music groups or assist them with exercise. After-school tutoring programs also need volunteers to read to children or mentor them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can be something as simple as volunteering at CCAPS to walk dogs that need homes. Puppies need to be socialized before they can be adopted,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n

Churches and other civic organizations also need volunteers to assist with meal programs and transportation. \u201cVolunteering is a great way for students to make connections, put their skills to use and make themselves known to potential employers,\u201d she said. \u201cIf a student does a good job as a volunteer, it might result in a written letter of recommendation from someone they work with in a volunteer program. Often, students find that by volunteering, they\u2019ve found a career path they never thought about before.\u201d<\/p>\n

The chance to volunteer is available to all \u2013 students, faculty and staff as well as community members. \u201cI like thinking of myself as a clearinghouse of ideas,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cI send out all-user emails, I text people, I call them, anything I can do to put a person together with an opportunity. I chase people down, I shake the bushes. I sleep better at night knowing I have enough people!\u201d<\/p>\n

Logistics are often a challenge. \u201cSometimes if I\u2019m not actually helping dig that hole or move that piece of furniture, I\u2019m going after water or a set of tools or getting paint transported \u2013 making things happen so the volunteers can make things happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI never know when God might give me an opportunity to serve somebody,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cI feel like that\u2019s what I\u2019m called to do. It\u2019s a chance to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. That\u2019s the magic formula.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though involved in almost too many projects to count, Taylor is perhaps proudest of MMB. \u201cThat came about because we wanted to see how we could change the landscape of Magnolia,\u201d she said. MMB was founded by Aaron Street, assistant dean for integrated marketing and media relations at SAU, and his wife, Dr. Viktoriya Street, associate professor of biology. An organizing committee grew to include many other faculty, staff and students from the University. Taylor got involved on the administrative side of things, working to get the campus and community involved.<\/p>\n

MMB kicked off with its inaugural Big Splash Saturday on Oct. 25, 2014, bringing around 500 community members together to clean up Main Street. Volunteers included local junior high and high school students, city officials, and business teams. Trees were removed, weeds mown, lots cleared, sidewalks edged, ditches burned off, and litter removed. The group still holds two Big Splash events each year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s exciting to me to see a dream come to fruition,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cIt can be very taxing on the brain to make sure there are enough supplies, to get people moved around and in the right spot. The logistics can be a challenge each and every time. But it\u2019s always worth it. That\u2019s what makes you feel good \u2013 overcoming challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n

To find out more about volunteer opportunities, call 870-904-4299 or 870-235-4922.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Serving others is not only vital to the mission of Southern Arkansas University but one of the things in life that makes Deana Taylor happy. Taylor, SAU\u2019s campus and community welfare coordinator, was recently honored by the City of Magnolia with its Citizen of the Month Award. Though recognized primarily for her contributions to Making… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":564,"featured_media":6471,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[276,32641,7753,143],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6470","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-community-corner","8":"category-featured-layout","9":"category-homepage","10":"category-student-life","11":"entry"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/564"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6470\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}