Published November 3, 2015
Last Friday, a group of ULM students participated in a community service project with
the Ouachita Council on Aging (OCA), a local non-profit organization serving seniors
aged 60+ since 1967.
Students and peer leaders at the OCA wellness center
The mission of the OCA is to act on behalf of older person(s) to secure needed services
and benefits. For nearly 50 years, the OCA has served local senior citizens by providing
meals, appropriate healthcare, transportation, outreach, recreation, an emergency
response system, among other services.
Since 2008, each ULM freshman class has played an integral role in OCA’s outreach.
They have contributed to fundraising efforts by supporting the annual quilt fundraiser,
provided care packages for senior participants in the Meals on Wheels program, corresponded
with the participants, and donated to the OCA food bank.
“We are so fortunate to have a unique partnership with ULM,” said Lynda McGhee, the
director of the OCA. “Most Meals on Wheels participants live alone, without any sense
of community. Contact with a young person means the world to this population.”
This year, the ULM freshman class, comprised of 1,400 students, raised $1,200 in donations,
furnished 66 large care baskets containing items for homebound seniors served by the
OCA, and replenished the OCA food bank with over 1,400 cans of food. “The cans of
food donated by ULM students, amounting to a one-year food supply, will be distributed
to needy seniors throughout the year, especially during the holiday season,” according
to Ms. McGhee.
ULM student, Brea Joyner, preparing care baskets
The freshmen who participated in this year’s Meals on Wheels are part of a required
freshman seminar (“University Seminar 1001”) that integrates academics and group activities,
including community service. Student peer leaders, who are selected through a competitive
application and interview process, serve as role models and leaders for their freshman
peers.
Brea Joyner, a junior communications major and peer leader, sees the real impact of
student involvement in the elderly community. “Many of the seniors who come to this
center do not get to see their families or friends very often,” Joyner said. “I think
it uplifts their spirits when we come out and give them things as random acts of kindness—not
with strings attached, but from the generosity of our hearts.”
The community service experience also had a positive impact on the student participants.
Joyner’s grandmother, who passed away this past March, used to participate in the
Meals on Wheels program, and Joyner remembers the effect it had on her grandmother.
“She used to come home with soup, popcorn, or some other item and these little things
made her so happy,” Joyner said. “It improved her quality of life and that meant the
world to me. I’m happy that I now have an opportunity to give to others in the same
way that others gave to my grandmother.”
Dr. Nick J. Bruno, ULM president, says that ULM’s participation in the Meals on Wheels
program is a reflection of the university’s commitment to serving the community. “Here
at ULM, we are dedicated to bettering the lives of our students, both inside and outside
of the classroom,” said Bruno. “The Meals on Wheels program facilitates this goal
by providing an important opportunity for our students to give back to the senior
citizens of our community.”
This year’s donations were made in honor of Mrs. Shirley Cagle, who served as the
co-director of the OCA for thirty years. She was instrumental in creating nutrition
programs for seniors, and she supervised the Meals on Wheels program. “She loved her seniors,
and she appreciated every good thing our freshmen provided for them,” said Ms. Barbara
Michaelides, ULM director of retention. “Mrs. Cagle will be missed.”
The OCA operates in ten satellite sites throughout the parish. To learn more about
the OCA or how to get involved as a volunteer, please contact Lynda McGhee at 318-387-0535.
For a photo gallery of this event, click here.
