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BUILD

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Incoming First-Year Students

As a member of the freshman class, you are about to begin an exciting journey both in and out of the classroom at 糖心Vlog. Your SOAR experiences will begin to facilitate your transition into the college experience.

In addition to your orientation experience, we offer students an opportunity to build their leadership skills and begin to form relationships with members of the University community. Take advantage of BUILD (Building Undergraduate Involvement in Leadership Development), our pre-semester leadership program, and take the first step in charting your course at 糖心Vlog.

Students who participate in BUILD will experience a 5-day leader development and service program that connects students to our campus and the local Statesboro community.  Students will volunteer each day with various community agencies and participate in a leadership education program in the evening.  Participants will have the opportunity to meet other incoming students, and build friendships to provide the critical support network so essential to student success!

BUILD Dates

July 20th – 24th, 2025

  • BUILD begins on Sunday at 12pm
  • BUILD will end Thursday by 3:30pm
  • $175 fee includes all equipment, food, transportation, lodging, and leaders.
  • Participants can check-in on Sunday from 9:00 a.m. 鈥� 11:00 a.m.  On-campus housing accommodations for students will be provided.

Check-in

Student check-in for BUILD will take place Sunday from 9:00 a.m. 鈥� 11:00 a.m. at a campus Residence Hall. Specific information about check-in will come in a confirmation letter e-mailed to each participant upon registration.

Forms

Participants will need to complete the following forms:

  • University Waiver (18+) OR University Waiver (Under 18)
  • CRI Waiver (18+) OR CRI Waiver (Under 18)
  • Habitat Waiver (18+) OR Habitat Waiver (Under 18)

Payment

The $175 fee can be paid by Cash, Check, eCheck, Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover.  Checks can be made out to 糖心Vlog.  Please do not mail cash.  

Cancellations will be accepted until June 27. After June 27, no refunds will be available.

Online payments are available .

Accommodations

Participants will be staying in a Residence Hall during BUILD. This residence hall is an apartment style residence hall. BUILDers will have their own room and will share a bathroom with another participant of the same gender.  BUILDers will need to bring a sleeping bag and/or linens for the mattress, as well as toiletries. A specific 鈥榃hat to Bring鈥� list will be mailed with BUILDer confirmation letters.

What Service Activities Will I Be Doing?

BUILD will provide several different service opportunities. Students will spend their days working with local community agencies to help make their volunteering experiences in the Statesboro community complete. Examples of activities include: construction projects, landscaping, and painting local non-profit agency buildings. There will be a lot of physical building and relationship building. It will be hot, and we鈥檒l be outside for the majority of the work, so please pack appropriately, and be ready to make a difference!

Policies

Smoking inside the residence facilities is strictly prohibited. The consumption of alcohol or use of drugs at any time during BUILD is also strictly prohibited.

All participants who drive their cars to BUILD will have their keys collected at check-in. All keys will be locked up in a secure location and returned at check-out.

Spending Money

All meals and activities are prepaid during the program, however, the Residence Halls do have vending machines.  If you would like to purchase a drink or snacks, it is recommended to bring a small amount of cash.

Mail, Calls, & Visitors

During the week, we strongly discourage any visitation by parents and friends. Mail may be sent in care of BUILD, 糖心Vlog, Office of Leadership and Community Engagement, PO Box 8114, Statesboro, GA 30460. Please have the student name and BUILD marked clearly on the envelope. We ask that participants initiate any calls only during free time.

If parents and friends need to get in contact with students during the week of BUILD, emergency/important phone calls can be directed to the Office of Leadership and Community Engagement, (912) 478-1435.

Social Outings

In addition to the hours dedicated to serving the Statesboro community, BUILD also emphasizes fostering a community among Georgia Southern students. BUILDers will leave the program feeling comfortable with each other, the university, and Statesboro. Participants will bond through team building activities, swimming, and much more!

BUILD Staff

The BUILD Staff is composed of student leaders and the Leadership & Community Engagement Office staff who coordinate BUILD. Prior to, during, and after the week of BUILD, staff members will be available for any questions you may have.

  • Jodi Kennedy, Director
  • Jeffrey Marsh, Associate Director
  • Vacant, Assistant Director for Service Learning
  • John Poston, Coordinator for Sustainability and Leadership
  • Emily Tanner, Coordinator of Community Engagement
  • Lexi Booth, Leadership Educator
  • Kelsi Simpson, SGA Coordinator
  • Rachel West, Assistant Director of Leadership and Community Engagement (Armstrong Campus)
  • Cassie Corbin, Administrative Assistant II

Community Partners

BUILD students do a variety of service projects within Statesboro and Bulloch County.

ActionPact

Organizing the center

Area Elementary Schools

Help teachers with organizing classrooms (i.e. laminating, moving furniture, moving classrooms, clerical work, etc.)

Campus Grounds

Landscape installation. Adding plants next to an area near the Gazebo and the Carruth building.

Caring and Sharing Home for Boys

Scanning files, sorting, cleaning, etc.

Christian Social Ministries

Cleaning roll-up doors, carpentry, painting, sorting donations, working in 5,000 sq foot warehouse

Christian Social Ministries Thrift Store

Help sort and organize donations

Downtown Statesboro Development Authority

Cleared out the overgrown brush surrounding a house in the Blue Mile District so revitalization efforts can begin.

Food Bank

Cleaning the Food Bank tables, supply rooms, sorting donations, etc.

Fostering Bulloch Hope Chest

Go through bags of donations, sort, and organize

Habitat for Humanity Construction

Help with the construction of current Habitat for Humanity House  

Habitat for Humanity ReStore
Assist in the upkeep of the store (i.e. sorting and organizing donations, cleaning, helping clients, etc.).

Hearts and Hands Clinic

Cleaning and organizing

Heritage Inn Nursing Center
Visiting and activities with residents.

The Lodge at Bethany

Landscaping, washing vehicles, garage and storage, cleaning inside the building, and cleaning the kitchen.

Portal Heritage Society
Landscape work at the Stewart house. Bottle turpentine from last year鈥檚 festival into small bottles to be sold at this year鈥檚 festival.

Safe Haven
Clean playground, rake garden, various yardwork, unpack and sort through items in POD, wash and clean Shelter vehicles, deep cleaning, and painting of client rooms

S.H.I.N.E. Clubhouse

Assemble and place sports equipment (i.e. volleyball net, basketball goal, etc.). Landscaping and cleaning.

Statesboro Bulloch County Library

Clean tables, chairs, shelves, moving desks, etc.

Statesboro YMCA

Cleaned and mopped floors, washed windows, outside yard work, etc.

Transitions Learning Center

Prepping for the school year 鈥� cleaning, putting up boards, arranging classrooms, filing, etc.

Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center, Inc.

Help prepare the grounds (inside and outside) for the upcoming Heritage Festival

Let Us BUILD for You!

BUILD is an opportunity for community partners to utilize the skills, expertise, and manual labor of incoming Georgia Southern freshman students who want to serve their new community.聽 This experience provides an opportunity for community partners to develop a new volunteer base, while getting some volunteer intensive projects completed.

BUILD students have assisted in landscaping, cleaned and painted rooms, cleaned out storage facilities, interacted with senior citizens, helped teachers prepare their classroom for the year, sorted through donations to non-profit facilities, cleared vacant lots, etc. The possibilities are endless. Talk with us about any ideas you have to see if they would be suitable for BUILD.

If you have a project you would like to see completed but don鈥檛 have the time or volunteers, then you should be a BUILD site. This yearly program provides service to community partners in need of completion of a labor intensive project.

All students will complete a minimum of 22 service hours during the course of the week. Students will switch BUILD sites in the afternoon so multiple community partners can be served. The office will transport students to and from the site and also log their hours.

There could be as little as 6 or as a many as 10 BUILDers at your site. The amount of work you need completed will dictate the number of students and how many days students volunteer at your site. BUILD takes place the last two weeks of July. However, not every site will need students both weeks, nor every day during the week. The office works with you to determine how many students and when students will arrive at your worksite. Students work a morning and afternoon shift Monday through Wednesday, and a morning shift only on Thursday. Morning shifts are 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. with afternoon shifts from 1-3:30 p.m.

We will provide the labor, but you must provide the materials. In addition, if you want students to assist in building developments (e.g. putting up a wall, building a ramp, etc.) then there must be a foreman or expert on site to provide instructions for the project.

Send an email to Urkovia Andrews at uandrews@georgiasouthern.edu or call the Office of Leadership and Community Engagement at 912-478-1435.