DAVENPORT, Iowa — Incoming students at St. Ambrose University are learning what it means to live the school's brand by serving the community. On Friday, more than 400 St. Ambrose students volunteered their time at more than 20 nonprofits in the Quad Cities metro area.
"This is an important day for us," said Nicky Gant, Service and Justice Coordinator at St. Ambrose University. "We call it 'BeeComing Ambrosian Day' where we send all 425 of our students out on service projects throughout the community."
The university partnered with organizations throughout the community, where students worked on a variety of service projects.
"They are doing everything today from making flowers for a float for a parade at Mercado on Fifth, to sorting clothes at Minnie's Maison to helping out with the community garden at Tapestry Farms and the food pantry at J.B. Young," said Gant.
Organizers say serving the community is important when becoming a student at St. Ambrose University.
"At St. Ambrose, one of the values that we try to instill into our students is to be a part of the community and be engaged in service and trying to think of the other, as far as instilling our Catholic values of outreach to the community," Gant told News 8.
Organizations students worked with, as listed by city:
Davenport, IA:
- Abundant Life Ranchers (Juan Diez Rancheros)
- The Clothing Center at Minnie's Maison
- Gilda's Club of the Quad Cities
- Gold Coast
- Hilltop Campus Village
- Hope at the BRICK House
- J.B. Young Opportunity Center / Vine Ministry
- One Eighty
- Project Renewal
- P.U.N.C.H. Davenport
- Tapestry Farms
- TMBC at the Lincoln Resource Center
Moline, IL:
- GiGi's Playhouse
- Mercado on Fifth
- YouthHope
Rock Island, IL:
- Heart of Hope Ministries
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center
- Project NOW
- QC Closet2Closet
- Quad City Botanical Center
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