If you are looking for a little positive news these days, here’s some – tnAchieves recently announced that our students have given back more than 5 million hours of community service - 5,083,081 to be exact - since the beginning of this vital nonprofit in 2009.
'College' includes community, technical and four-year institutions
TnAchieves works to ensure that every high school senior has the opportunity to earn a high-quality, post-secondary credential. As a partnering organization with the state’s Tennessee Promise scholarship program, tnAchieves continues to build and execute programs designed to increase Tennessee’s college enrollment and completion rates. And it subscribes to the bold idea that “college” should mean community, technical and four-year institutions, which all carry importance and relevance in today’s economy.
Accessing college often means having additional encouragement and support. TnAchieves does this with volunteer mentors and COMPLETE coaches . It also means eliminating financial barriers with the state’s Tennessee Promise scholarship, assistance with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and completion grants .
Next generation is required to give back
As the co-founder and chairman of the tnAchieves Board of Directors , I believe in the lasting impact of tnAchieves. It changes lives and transforms communities. And a unique pillar of our program is its focus on ensuring the next generation gives back to our communities through community service. Every TN Promise student completes at least eight hours of community service each semester.
With 96% of our students reporting they enjoyed their volunteer experience, they are spending time volunteering at their schools, colleges, churches, food pantries, animal shelters and other local organizations. More than 1 million of these hours have been completed through education-based opportunities.
Aside from the positive impact they are making across Tennessee, there are numerous other benefits for students. Students are learning about the needs of their community, making important connections and discovering passions that may lead them to a meaningful career path not previously considered.
Some students get opportunity to job shadow
Moreover, students have also spent more than 600,000 hours job shadowing and learning about in-demand careers in their region. Companies like Nissan, Eastman Chemical, Deloitte, Maury Regional Health Center, Clayton Homes , Memphis Light, Gas and Water, Oak Ridge National Laboratory , Siemens, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the University of Tennessee Medical Center and West Tennessee Healthcare participated in the most recent tnAchieves Job Shadow Day, providing tnAchieves students with real-life career experiences.
Dr. Stephen Streiffer, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, complimented our latest Job Shadow Day by stating, “ORNL is like a small city, and we need all kinds of skills to keep our facilities running and research going every day. tnAchieves provided us with a great opportunity to share potential career options with students as they decided the next steps in their education.”
I am grateful to leaders like Dr. Streiffer who open their doors to tnAchieves students to gain valuable insight and experience that will certainly contribute to their future career goals.
TnAchieves is sharing this milestone by highlighting some of the amazing work students have done to make our state a better place. In a news cycle that often feels negative, we hope you will join us in celebrating the students behind the stories –and all their work and service mean to our local communities and our state.
Randy Boyd is the chairman of the tnAchieves Board of Directors and serves as the president of the University of Tennessee System. TnAchieves is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that serves as a partnering organization to the TN Promise.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: UT System President Randy Boyd: tnAchieves students' 5M service hours benefit communities
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