Homecoming takes on community focus; Paisley concert wristbands available for faculty, staff
Posted on: 10/11/2015; Updated on: 10/11/2015By Peggy Binette, 803-777-7704
Just over a week ago, a record 20 inches of rain led to a record response by the University of South Carolina to ensure the safety of students and by My Carolina Alumni Association to help mobilize a network of volunteers and use its new home to receive and distribute donated goods to help flood victims.
“In the midst of this tragedy, we saw what makes our university so special — students alumni, staff and faculty all working side by side in selfless service to those around us,” says Jack Claypoole, executive director of My Carolina.
The university’s new Alumni Center has been transformed into a logistical hub, where My Carolina staff is coordinating the receipt of donated supplies, mobilizing volunteers to sites of need and answering calls from alumni from around the country who want to know how they can help in the relief effort.
“It’s been an amazing show of support,” Claypoole says. “SEC partners like Vanderbilt sent 3,000 cases of water and other relief supplies. My Carolina and Gamecock Club volunteers from Atlanta and across the country have sent supplies and traveled to the Midlands to help those in need. Lowe's and Nationwide partnered to get our students the gloves and tools they needed to help families and neighborhoods. It’s truly humbling to see the response.”
Since last Monday, a combination of students, alumni and friends have volunteered nearly around the clock to help receive and distribute dozens of truckloads of water and relief supplies and have helped with cleanup, going neighborhood to neighborhood. In close coordination with city and county leaders, these teams have supported relief shelters and coordinated a broad distribution of supplies.
Fittingly, the return of students to campus coincides with homecoming week.
As the Gamecock family comes together for homecoming, it does so in continued focus on serving the needs of communities around the state affected by flooding.
Some homecoming events will take on a community focus, while others will be rescheduled, including the grand opening of the new Alumni Center, the annual alumni awards ceremony and reunion parties.
Faculty and staff – 2,100 of whom are Carolina alumni – are invited to a trio of weekend homecoming events.
On Friday night, the Brad Paisley Country Nation College Tour performance sponsored by Zaxby’s and the pre-concert event sponsored by LCK, the Alumni Center’s construction management team, currently remain as scheduled. Both will support and honor the greater Midlands community. The concert will take place in front of the Alumni Center at Senate and Lincoln streets.
Approximately 750 free wristbands for the Paisley concert have been made available to faculty and staff, with pick-up 9 a.m.–7 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 13) on Davis Field by the Russell House University Union on a first-come, first-served basis. Each faculty and staff member may receive up to two wristbands, one for themselves and one for a guest. An official Carolina Card ID is required in order to receive wristbands.
Or, there are a limited number of tickets available to a My Carolina Welcome Home event that precedes the concert. Faculty and staff can purchase up to two of these tickets for $10 each, which will provide access to food and beverage in the Alumni Center and the opportunity to watch the concert from a preferred viewing area. The event begins at 5 p.m. and the concert starts at 7:30 that night.
The football game against Vanderbilt and My Carolina’s tailgate on Saturday, also sponsored by LCK, currently remain as scheduled. The tailgate, to be held 1–4 p.m. in Gamecock Park, also will support and honor the Midlands.
Homecoming will wrap up with a Community Worship Service at 4 p.m. Sunday in the Alumni Center. The ecumenical service, a time for reflection and prayer, is sponsored by the Black Alumni Council.
Details about these homecoming events will be available online at MyCarolina.org. Of course, event plans are subject to change as university officials continue to monitor the recovery and its potential effects on campus operations.
During homecoming week, faculty, staff, students and alumni will continue volunteering to serve those in need, and My Carolina Alumni Association in partnership with UofSCRelief will continue gathering and distributing donated goods to neighborhoods that need them. More information about those activities and how to help is available online.
With the anticipated grand opening of the Alumni Center, rescheduled for Nov. 20, My Carolina begins a new era of service in the life of the university. Faculty and staff can take a virtual tour of the building at MyNEWstalgia.com
For more information about homecoming events planned for this week, contact My Carolina at 803-777-4111 or via email at connect@mycarolina.org.
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