Union University students skip class to serve community

JACKSON, Tenn. — Union University student Justice Walker is taking a break from his Tuesday classes to help Arlington Elementary students with their reading.

“I love serving and being around kids. They have so much energy,” Walker said.

He had a chance to channel that energy during Union’s campus-wide service day.

It’s a chance to give thanks to the community for helping them rebuild after tornadoes ripped up parts of their campus in three different years.

“I know a lot of my bosses and people that I work with that were here during the tornadoes of 2008, and they say the Jackson community just showed out,” Walker said.

Instead of going to class, students scatter throughout the community to serve among local schools, organizations and churches.

“We feel like it’s our duty to go back into the community and give,” said Rachel Lewis, president of Union University’s Zeta Tau Alpha chapter.

She helped prepare food at RIFA’s soup kitchen with her sorority.

She said it’s a time to serve but also to bond with her classmates and those in the community.

“We are just so thankful for the community because we wouldn’t have been here without them,” Lewis said.

Teams helped complete more than 30 projects, and students like Walker say they hope to raise that number next year.

“If any business or any school wants us next year, we’re here,” he said.

This marks the 15th year for Union University’s campus-wide service day.

If you have an idea for a project next year, visit their website.