SCC student volunteers bring ‘youth empowerment’ to local nonprofits

In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy, Southeastern Community College students volunteered at the DREAM Center in Whiteville and Building Bridges After School Program in Fair Bluff. SCC’s MLK committee created a service project called “Dreams in Motion – SCC’s MLK Youth Empowerment Project” that engaged SCC students with children and youth in games, activities and MLK worksheets featuring coloring, word searches and crossword puzzles.  

Student Engagement Coordinator Katie Floyd explained that SCC baseball players, softball players, student ambassadors and student government association members went to the DREAM Center on Jan. 11 and Building Bridges After School Program on Jan. 25. She said there were almost 30 kids at the DREAM Center and 10 kids at Building Bridges.  

“It’s great to see students volunteering in a space where we teach classes,” Floyd said. “Seeing our softball players interact and have fun with the little ones was awesome. I feel like they are born teachers because they kept them in line but also kept them entertained.” 

Floyd was impressed with volunteer staff at Building Bridges in Fair Bluff, a town decimated by flood waters from Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018. Building Bridges After School Program is a new space for children in Fair Bluff to receive after school care and help with school assignments.  

“I know this was just our MLK service project, but I hope this is something that we continue to do throughout the year,” Floyd said. “Because I do think we made a difference with those kids because they enjoyed having people there who cared.” 

“This experience gave our student leaders a chance to serve our community while positively impacting today’s youth,” said Colene Faulk, dean of student services.  

“The DREAM Center would like to thank SCC students with the Youth Empowerment Project for bringing so much excitement to the Safe Haven Afterschool Program,” said Amber Bellamy, executive director of the DREAM Center. “The staff and students enjoyed the assistance they provided with homework, games, and prizes. We hope to continue this partnership and have the youth visit again.”  

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