A total of 774 students, faculty and staff from Ouachita Baptist University served the community of Arkadelphia during Tiger Serve Day on Saturday, Sept. 22, all while rain came down periodically throughout the morning. A total of 89 Tiger Serve Day projects under the theme “Lending a Hand” were completed by 103 volunteer teams.

“Volunteers have the opportunity to build community with each other and those they serve. In the process we are all reminded that we need each other,” said Judy Duvall, associate director of Ouachita’s Elrod Center for Family and Community, which coordinates the event. “As a result, we become a little more like Christ who did not come to be served but to serve and give His life; that’s our goal.”

Every year teams ranging from about six to eight volunteers serve in various capacities all over the community. The projects reached senior adults, individuals with disabilities, non-profits and schools. Some volunteers were able to clean up Lake DeGray and work at the Clark County Library, organizing, cleaning and painting within the building.

“Well the rain definitely didn’t start as a good thing, but it ended up being so awesome,” said Hannah Eddington, a senior business administration/marketing major from Benton, Ark., and chair of the volunteer teams for the Tiger Serve Day Leadership Team. “The teams showed up in the cold rain ready to serve; it was a pretty cool testament to Ouachita’s focus on lives of meaningful work.”

“I love Tiger Serve Day because it signifies a set time each semester Ouachita can help those in need,” said Davis Wadley, a senior social justice studies major from Batesville, Ark., and chair of tools for the Tiger Serve Day Leadership Team.