By Jeb Sharp

Pike County will benefit from Troy University student volunteers this Saturday during “Care for Community Day.”

The event was designed as a way to both commemorate the lives lost in the 9-11 attacks 12 years ago and to provide students with the opportunity to make a difference in their community.

“I have been here for four years, and I believe that the students have become a lot more active in that time period,” said Jonathan Cellon, coordinator of the university’s Service Learning and Civic Engagement Program. “A new group of students comes forward every month and works with one of our service agencies.”

Cellon sees “Care for the Community Day” as a way for Troy’s students to interact with the community and show their appreciation for the services that the community provides to them.

“This is a great way for the students to give back to the community and the City of Troy,” Cellon said. “The community benefits from student involvement and volunteerism.

Troy students will meet in front of Smith Hall at 8 a.m. Saturday and transportation will be provided by the university to take students to one of eight locations throughout Pike County. Locations where students will be volunteering are the Boys and Girls Club of Pike and Surrounding Counties, the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, the Pike County Alternative Learning Center, the Pioneer Museum of Alabama, Sav-a-Life of Troy, Head Start, and Noble Manor assisted living facility.

Students will work on various projects at the different sites until 12 p.m. Troy has the capacity to transport and accommodate up to 150 students, and Cellon said he hopes there will be a big turn out.