Contact: Kenneth Billings
STARKVILLE, Miss.--The Maroon Volunteer Center recently recognized three Mississippi State student organizations and one student with the first Spirit Awards for outstanding contributions to community service.
Raymond native Kimberly Watson received the student of the year award for contributing 109 hours and 30 minutes of community service during the 2010-11 school year.
Watson, daughter of Leonard Watson of Jackson and Betty Watson of Raymond, is a senior double majoring in history and Spanish and a member of the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center. She serves on the College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Student Advisory Board.
The Student of the Year award recognizes the individual who best exemplifies outstanding community service based on their efforts, benefit to the community/participant, and the number of service hours performed.
Watson participated in numerous volunteer events including: the Blair E. Batson Reader-To-Patient program, mentoring at West Oktibbeha Elementary, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, collecting supplies for the Adopt-A-Family program, and volunteering for the Mississippi's BEST science fair.
The University Honors Council received the student organization of the year honor with 410 service hours logged in endeavors including volunteering at Montgomery Gardens and for the MSU Big Event, coordinating the Pi miles 5K run, planting flowers for the Griffis Hall beautification project, and volunteering for the Maroon Edition Habitat for Humanity project.
The Kappa Delta Sorority took the Most Compelling Service Project award for raising more than $51,000 by organizing an event they called the "KD Pancake Late Night." The objective was to raise awareness for Prevent Child Abuse America and financially support the Sally Kate Winters home in West Point for the next year.
The Group Effort of the Year went to the Delta Xi Phi Multicultural Sorority, which logged a total of 392 service hours, with each group member contributing 25 hours or more to the overall total.
The Maroon Volunteer Center is a student-driven initiative that encourages and supports community involvement and volunteer service. Led by a team of students, staff, and volunteers, the center provides services, programs, and events that allow the MSU community to utilize its talents and skills while helping others.
For more information about Mississippi State University, visit www.msstate.edu.