University gives back to Joplin
Brittany Rhoades, senior public relations major, buries wire beneath sod in front of the Howard’s new home.
Organizations from Missouri Southern had the opportunity to help with the popular TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that filmed in Joplin Oct. 19.
The show took on its biggest project so far, building seven homes in just one short week. The show had over 10,000 volunteers, including students from Southern. Students from the Campus Activity Board (CAB), members from the softball and baseball teams, women’s basketball team, Baptist Student Union (BSU), and Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) volunteered their time to help with this project.
“When you get a lot of people involved in one project, nothing is impossible,” Katie Rodick, intern for BSU here on campus, said. The BSU was in charge of putting food together for the producers and the show’s crew and recruited workers to help with the food preparation.
“I think the more Southern is involved in the community, the more pride we’ll feel as a campus,” Jon Smith, director of BSU, said, “it was neat for us.”
Smith went to the CAB office to recruit students to help fill holes and announced at the free lunch they host every week leading up to the start of build.
The PRSSA also volunteered on the project, helping in the volunteer tent and doing landscaping work for two of the seven houses.
“With so many people wanting to volunteer we were lucky to get a chance to volunteer,” Chelsea Jones, senior, double major in theatre and public relations, said.
Jones, president of the PRSSA, says that the experience was incredible to be a part of and definitely worth the hard work and time.
“It was really cool to be able to point to something and say ‘Hey I did that!’ It wasn’t about getting on camera,” Jones said, “It was about doing something.”
Smith and Jones hope that this will lead to Southern having a stronger presence within the community, translating that feeling of community over to the campus.
“I think as a University we definitely need a stronger sense of pride in our school. Southern needs to be involved in the community,” Smith said.
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