Building Together Ministries, a nonprofit Christian organization, has hosted volunteer groups of students throughout this year.
BTM services reach both children and adults citywide to build families and strengthen the community.
Linda Riggins, recipient of Raleigh’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, ministers at BTM and visited the University last week to speak to students regarding not only her experience on the reality TV series, but also the volunteer opportunities for students at BTM.
“[Students] can really make an impact in the community,” Riggins said. “It’s a real tangible way to develop a sense of community, especially when you’re students and away from your own family and friends, and you can connect with Building Together and build that sense of family.”
Students have volunteered this year at the BTM NeighborStore, which provides preowned clothing and household goods, and Pride for Parents Christmas Store, which offers new toys to parents of limited means during December. Students have also served as mentors, tutors and social workers during the school year, as well as during summer camps.
Kate Luckadoo, a junior in communication, worked at the NeighborStore during Christmas time, where she and her family organized clothes and books that had been donated to the ministry.
“It was really enjoyable for us,” Luckadoo said. “It was a nice experience to be able to work in collaboration with the ministry and enjoy serving that capacity. I would definitely go back. I know it’s an ongoing volunteer process, so they can always use extra help.”
A group of students from Center for Student Leadership, Ethics and Public Service volunteered at BTM in February.
“When we were doing the review for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, we met the associate directors of Building Together Ministries,” Chris Lett, a volunteer with CSLEPS, said. “They said they need help [there], so I thought it’d be a good idea to bring students.”
The students helped the preschool teacher to redesign the preschool room, clean out its storage closet for additional space and organize the room, according to Lett.
“They cleaned up, moved furniture around, moved stuff out and we packed up trucks with donations and some of the leftover supplies for toys from after we cleaned up to be sent to the store to be sold,” Lett said. “Everything sold there goes back into the ministry.”
Riggins said not only has the volunteer outreach from students at BTM been great, but also the help from students during the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition project.
“It’s a great stress reliever to break your routine of your school environment,” Riggins said. “It’s like a down time from your mindset of exams, especially in the months of November and December.”
Lett said getting involved with the ministry would help students understand their local community.
“It’s important just to understand their local community outside their local experience and outside the world of N.C. State,” Lett said. “It’s a great opportunity for students to gain practical skills depending on what type of service their interested in. It’s also good just to serve and help out and take your mind off of different things.”
Riggins said BTM ministers have recruited students on campus successfully throughout this year.
“The N.C. State community is aware with us and we are accessible,” she said. “The families we serve are big N.C. State fans.”