Emory’s aid to others honored

Emory University was one of six colleges and universities recognized with a 2008 Presidential Award for General Community Service.

The award, presented Monday, honors “innovative and effective community service.”

Other institutions that received the award were California State University, Fresno; Michigan State University; Duke University; the University of Missouri-Kansas City; and Brookhaven College.

Last year, Emory students completed almost 150,000 hours of service with more than 200 organizations and projects. More than 80 percent of Emory’s seniors say they were involved in community service while in college.

Students work weekly in projects that tackle poverty relief, environmental conservation and other community needs.

Danny Denton, 22, a senior from Statesboro, is co-director of Volunteer Emory, the campus agency that coordinates service projects.

“We have a tremendous amount of fun doing good for the community,” Denton said. “It’s amazing to see a kid who gets math for the first time, or a dog adopted, or have a kid at the boys’ and girls’ club recognize you and jump into your arms, or hear the stories of elderly women at Wesley Woods. That’s what keeps us coming back for more.”

Other metro Atlanta colleges and universities that received “honor roll” status are Agnes Scott College; Atlanta Christian College; Chattahoochee Technical College; Georgia State University; Morehouse College; and Oglethorpe University.

Mercer University in Macon, which has an Atlanta campus, and the University of Georgia also made the honor roll.

The honors were awarded by the Corporation for National and Community Service and are sponsored by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, the USA Freedom Corps and the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development.