TRIO students pitch in on national?day of service

Augustana students in the college¡¯s TRIO Student Support Services program will participate in a national day of service in celebration of National TRIO Day Feb. 26.

Nationally, TRIO Day is an opportunity to focus on the need for increased investment in first-generation, low-income and/or students with disabilities. Augustana students will volunteer at four agencies in the Quad Cities.

Program leaders and students will gather at Rock Island¡¯s Martin Luther King, Jr., Community Center, beginning at noon. Others will help with service projects at Project NOW¨CHead Start, Closet2Closet and the ARC of the Quad Cities Area.

Jerry Jones, King Center executive director and a 1991 Augustana graduate, and Kristia LeShoure, the center's facility supervisor, will brief the students on the work of the center as they assist with building inventory and organizing storage areas.

Supported by a $1.3 million TRIO Student Support Services grant from the Department of Education, Augustana launched its TRIO-SSS Scholars Program in September 2021 to bolster the academic, graduation and career success of program participants. The program serves 140 Augustana students.

¡°We see the TRIO-SSS program as another way we can help improve the upward mobility of students,¡± said Augustana President Steve Bahls. ¡°We are committed to helping all Augie students and providing pathways toward high-demand careers.¡±

The federal TRIO program began with the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. Since then, TRIO Programs have been expanded  to provide a wider range of services and to reach more students.