4/3/12
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The Brothers for Change Annual Community Day: Fun and fellowship |
Brothers for Change (B4C), a Randolph-Macon College
student organization, hosted Community Day on March 31, 2012. The day-long event took place in the Brock Sports and Recreation Center.
Click on Community Day for a slideshow of photos from the event. Children ages 5-17 joined B4C members for a day of games, sports, food and fellowship. Participants also had the opportunity to tour the R-MC campus. This year’s guest speaker was
Dr. Jamelle Wilson, superintendent of Hanover County Public Schools.
Kenneth White ’12, president of B4C, says this year’s event was a huge success.
"The fact that we were able to work with 134 children and have Dr. Wilson join us for part of the day is a testament to the hard work of Brothers 4 Change, Alpha Phi Omega and other volunteers."
The mission of Brothers for Change, which was founded in 2005, is to promote leadership, diversity and responsibility among young men. Community service is one of the group’s primary goals. Each year, B4C members prepare and present Thanksgiving baskets and Christmas gifts to families in need and rake leaves for elderly citizens. B4C also has an afterschool mentorship program at Henry Clay Elementary School in Hanover County. Each week, several B4C members work with children in the school’s Positive Action Club, a prevention program for children in grades K through 5.
Sociology Professor Reber Dunkel, coordinator of the Students Engaged in Responsible Volunteer Experiences (
SERVE) program, praises B4C’s dedication and community spirit.
“Reaching out to local youth is an excellent way for our students to make bridges from campus to Ashland,” says Dunkel. “This kind of mentorship—with R-MC students serving as role models for youngsters—is a win-win situation. The Brothers 4 Change members provide fellowship and guidance to younger members of our larger community. Having a speaker like Superintendent Wilson at the event stresses the importance of education; it underscores the vital impact our students can have when engaged in community service.”
In 2011, Brothers for Change was presented the
Pepper and Stuart Laughon Commitment to Community Award. The award, named in honor of R-MC Board of Trustee member Frank E. “Pepper” Laughon Jr. ’59 and his wife Stuart, is given annually to an individual or organization that has made significant contributions to enrich the lives of others. In addition, B4C is a 2012 nominee for the Hanover Spirit of Volunteerism Award.
In 2010-11, R-MC students collectively amassed almost 8,000 volunteer hours. Nearly 50 students spent an alternative Spring Break in Florida for a combined 950 hours with Habitat for Humanity and 130 hours for a Haiti Relief project. Students in R-MC’s Greek organizations contributed more than 4,500 hours of collective service to the community, collected 550 pounds of canned food, donated 60 inches of hair to Locks of Love, 21 toys to Toys for Tots and generous funds to various organizations. In addition, money was raised on campus and donated to the Red Cross & Partners in Health for the Haiti Earthquake Relief. The SERVE program, in the Office of Student Life, is an integral part of Randolph-Macon’s Leadership Development and Service Initiative.