By Kayla Lutes, Features Editor
On Friday April 7, Asbury University will join with Asbury Theological Seminary(ATS) and Habitat for Humanity to serve the Wilmore community. This service day will recognize the importance of belonging to a community as Asbury, ATS and Habitat come together to give back to Wilmore as a way of saying ‘thanks’ by lending a hand.
“We wanted to work together with Asbury University and Habitat to make a difference in people’s lives and wellbeing by providing an extra hand to get things done,” said Bethanne Mostad, program coordinator at ATS. “We love what God is doing in and through the University already and knew we wanted to partner with them in this huge endeavor to provide even more love in practical ways to Wilmore.”
The project was planned by a leadership team made up of students and staff from Asbury, ATS and Habitat. The team was intentional about listening to the needs of the community as they established the plan for the day of service. There are a number of Wilmore businesses on the list to be served including Wilmore Day Care Center, Rachel’s Rose Garden and more.
For Director of Wilmore Day Care, Nicole Cook, the community aspect of the service day is a big draw. “I thought that having some community help would be a great way to get more community in our doors and a way to reach out to the community,” Cook said. “We are also in need right now for help from our community, so it was the perfect opportunity.”
Cook signed the day care up for help with painting the hallway and cafeteria and for yard and maintenance work on the grounds.
“We are excited for all the opportunities for staff, faculty and students to serve alongside one another as they provide a noticeable benefit to the beautification of Wilmore and love to the people who are dedicated to serving every day,” Mostad said.
There are as many ways to serve as there are places to serve. Businesses expressed the need for help with painting, cleaning windows, landscaping, weed pulling, parks beautification, setting up a trampoline and swing set and more. You can serve for a four-hour block in the morning from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. or from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
In addition to serving with beautification projects, Asbury, ATS and Habitat are accepting donations of nonperishable food items in service of Wilmore Food Pantry until March 31.
For Mostad, one day of service is just the beginning of showing gratitude to the businesses that make up the Wilmore community. She said, “we want Wilmore businesses, ministries and schools to know that they are loved and appreciated. We know that the least we can do is to set aside a day dedicated solely to beautifying our Wilmore with its small town charm.”
You can go to: http://asbury.to/serviceday to find a complete list of places to serve and to register for the service day. Registration ends on March 31.