Press Release

Atlanta Students Helping Atlanta Students

ATLANTA – On Saturday, November 10, Oglethorpe University student volunteers will staff the Charles R. Drew Charter School's Parents' Day Off (301 East Lake Blvd. S.E., Atlanta, 30317) from 11:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. This opportunity is sponsored by Oglethorpe’s Center for Civic Engagement.

Volunteer responsibilities include playing games, tutoring and working with K-8 children at one of Oglethorpe’s OU PALS educational partners. The OU PALS (Positive Actions Lead to Success) program is a partnership with Drew Charter School, Ed S. Cook Elementary School and PATH Academy. Oglethorpe students, faculty and staff have been completing volunteer projects at each school and tutoring and mentoring the students. Each of these partnerships has offered unique opportunities for Oglethorpe students to give back while learning about the needs of a community.

Charles R. Drew Charter School, teaching 850 pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students in East Lake, is Atlanta’s first charter school. Past OU PALS activities with Drew Charter School students include, 190 K-2nd grade students attending an Oglethorpe theater department’s children’s play and staying for a Q&A with the actors, the OU golf teams participating in The First Tee program teaching Drew students golf fundamentals and 25 sixth grade students touring the campus and having lunch with the Oglethorpe women’s basketball team.

The Center for Civic Engagement integrates classroom learning with experiences throughout Atlanta, supporting the community while enhancing the university’s academic offerings. The center coordinates initiatives to support faculty and students as they integrate classroom learning with community experiences through service-learning, internships, partnerships and meetings with some of the city’s most influential leaders.