Students Serve at Isaiah 117 House
Students from one of Lee University’s benevolence classes recently completed a service project by designing, implementing, and executing a community drive for supplies and resources for Isaiah 117 House, an organization providing temporary living situations for children awaiting foster care placement.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to have served alongside other students to help bring awareness and gather supplies for Isaiah 117 House,” said Zakary Maslov, a sophomore information systems major. “It was a blessing for me to be able to serve and help this incredible organization and the children they serve. I’m so thankful to all who supported this service event.”
The benevolence class consists of business majors and is led by Chris Rouse. During the drive, the students collected basic toiletries, such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, and shampoo. Andrew Johnson Bank partnered with the class to provide a drop-off location for supplies.
“The Benevolence program at Lee strives to connect students with service projects that will demonstrate how they can serve in future professions,” said Rouse. “I wanted to help my students understand how the design and implementation of marketing skills can help non-profit organizations with the visibility of their mission.”
To promote the drive and integrate their business majors, students designed and facilitated social media aspects of the campaign and hosted the drive itself. Rouse also appeared with Alissa Long, program coordinator for Cleveland’s Isaiah 117 House, on local station Mix TV (WCLE) to spread the word about the project.
Isaiah 117 House’s mission is to reduce trauma for children awaiting placement, lighten the load for child welfare services, and ease the transition for foster families.
“We are so thankful for the students in Mr. Rouse’s class for taking ownership, digging deep, and meeting a need for the children entering foster care in Bradley and Polk counties,” said Long. “They researched the issue, asked great questions, and consolidated their work in a way that had a huge impact on our ability to accomplish our mission as a non-profit. I am so inspired and encouraged by their generosity!”
The Lee University Benevolence course offers students an introduction to various aspects of service from a Christian perspective. Special attention is given to introducing students to biblical and theological themes that address issues of benevolence, exploring the integration of vocation and service to others, offering students concrete ways of serving the needs of others in their communities and the world, and relating the content of the course with the larger service requirement for all Lee University students.
For more information about Isaiah 117 House, visit isaiah117house.com/ or call (423) 518-3760.
