The art of giving in the student community seems particularly rampant during the holiday season.
To do their part, members of campus groups Silver Wings and the Arnold Air Society are volunteering Thursday at the Smokey Mountain Home for Children, a treatment facility for abused children in Sevierville.
Silver Wings is a professional service organization that often works with the Arnold Air Society to do projects in the East Tennessee community.
The purpose of the Arnold Air Society, which is open to US Air Force ROTC cadets, is to advocate the support of aerospace power as a professional, honorary organization associated with the Air Force.
The two groups will be serving and interacting with the children at their annual holiday banquet from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
According to Silver Wings member Kristina Weber, the national, coed society is a civilian organization open to whomever would like to join.
(We) are dedicated to creating proactive knowledge and effective leaders through community service and education about national defense, Weber said.
Silver Wings has approximately 15 members and is currently in the process of regaining its charter, Weber said.
There used to be a chapter here at UT, Weber said. However, (it) died down in the early 90s.
So far this year, Silver Wings, along with the Arnold Air Society, has hosted a dance for senior citizens and a fundraiser for the organization. It has several other community service projects scheduled for the upcoming spring semester.
Weber said it was important to Silver Wings to get students involved in projects that will take them off campus because that is where the most help is needed.
We want to students to be in touch with our community’s needs, Weber said. Students are quite sheltered here on campus, so they don’t recognize the social problems outside the university. Community service projects help students branch our and further their education in a way they cannot do on campus.
To join Silver Wings or to learn more on upcoming service events, students can e-mail Weber at [email protected].
