SHSU’s Bearkat Attack will take place in Huntsville on Saturday. The annual event first began about 10 years ago when ROTARACT, a university organization dedicated to community service, was formed.
According to Jamie Herbert, chair for the department of mathematics and statistics and ROTARACT faculty advisor, the objective of Bearkat Attack is to organize other SHSU student organizations together with the members ROTARACT and people from the local community. On one Saturday, these students work on project sites around the community.
“It’s a little opportunity for students to give back,” Herbert said.
Former community service projects during Bearkat Attack have included building wheelchair ramps for the elderly and disabled, cleaning up or painting for the SAAFE House and re-roofing houses. Organization members have also re-built floors, assisted the city with cleaning up Gibbs Cemetery, performed other light home repairs, done landscaping and general cleaning.
Herbert said ROTARACT has always focused on involving other student organizations but also highly encourages individuals to participate.
“We’ll never turn anyone away,” Herbert said.
He said each organization is split up and put into crews so that there is a combined effort and not “organization projects.”
Herbert said the Bearkat Attack event is growing each year. During the first year of the event there were approximately 35 student participants. Last year, there were over 200.
“It’s amazing to show up at West Hill Mall and see over 200 Sam Houston students ready to give back,” Herbert said. “We’d love to see it grow to 2,000 students one day.”
Breakfast and lunch will be provided for participants in the event. Volunteers will also be given T-shirts displaying the names of the organizations that participated.
ROTARACT has approximately 30 student members who each work to locate and checkout possible sites in need of help during Bearkat Attack. Members also canvas the community for donations and supplies and ask students to participate.
Herbert said he’s very proud of the students for all their hard work in getting Bearkat Attack together.
For more information on taking part in Bearkat Attack visit the ROTARACT Web site by logging onto http://www.shsu.edu/~org_rotaract. Interested students may also e-mail Danielle Davison, president of ROTARACT, at stddyd11@shsu.edu for further details.