Social Work Students Participate in Project Grad Holiday Gathering

(The social work student volunteers left to right: Angela Smith, Ryan Scott, Zia Schrader, Barbara Ferrell, and Tayia Fowlkes)

Project Grad-Akron is a non-profit education reform entity that offers programs, supports, and scholarships for underrepresented youth from kindergarten through career classes. The program is designed to offer opportunities to students regardless of ethnicity or socio-economic status who are at risk in the community. The Buchtel cluster of Project Grad-Akron partnered with the Akron Public School System to hold its annual Holiday Gala for several hundred children on Saturday, December 7, 2019. Project Grad culinary arts students prepared breakfast for all participants. According to Dr. Mark McManus, School of Social Work, Visiting Assistant Professor and Advisor to the Master Social Work Student Association (MSWSA), students from MSWSA and undergraduate students from the Student Social Work League (SSWL) joined the gala with two tables of arts and crafts, coloring holiday scenes, and playing games (the reindeer antler ring toss was a favorite). These activities gave children an opportunity to celebrate the holidays in safe family friendly atmosphere.