Students 'Serve Shawnee' During Welcome Week

A group of 425 students from OBU took to the streets of Shawnee Monday, Aug. 17, to serve the community through numerous projects as part of OBU's annual "Serve Shawnee" event. Locations included Cargo Ranch, Project Safe, Jefferson Elementary School, Shawnee Middle School, Primose Retirement Center, Mission Shawnee, Japanese Peace Garden, the Shawnee Depot and more.

Serve Shawnee began in 2001 to show OBU students they can make an important difference in their community. Each new class of students, including both freshman and transfer students, goes out for three hours to different locations around Shawnee. They are led by upperclassmen and staff members, as they participate in a variety of projects including picking up trash, painting, cleaning, pulling weeds at local care facilities and schools, and much more.

The Serve Shawnee project is part of Welcome Week, a time devoted to making new friends, learning OBU traditions and participating in fun activities during the lead-up to classes. Students meet in small groups, participate in community service projects, compete in "Ka-Rip Wars" as they learn the school yell and participate in The Walk, as they officially join the Bison family.