Habitat for Humanity: The Habitat for Humanity service group works alongside the local chapter to help raise money to build a house for an underprivileged family in Abilene. In the past ten years, ACU students have volunteered alongside the local chapter to build several homes in Abilene.
Lynay : The Lynay group was founded several years ago in the effort to educate students on the essence of leadership through service and building community. Lynay is a multicultural group, having an equal representation of every major ethnic group, gender, and classification on campus. The group meets once a week to listen to a variety of speakers on current topics and issues that affect everyone in the world. There is a one hundred student cap on Lynay, with a limited number of places available for incoming freshmen. Call Dr. McCaleb’s office for more information.
Senior Buddies : Senior Buddies has organized volunteers to play games and hold special events for Christian Village, the retirement center located across the street from ACU. These volunteers visit the residents of Christian Village about once a week.
Service Action Leadership Team (SALT) : The purpose of SALT is to instill and nurture hearts for service by meeting the needs of others in Abilene.
Spring Break Campaigns : The purpose of Spring Break Campaigns is to impact lives through student-led short-term missions that are dedicated to Christ-like service throughout the world. Each year 500+ students travel to 30+ destinations throughout the western hemisphere during spring break to work with local churches, children's homes and inner-city ministries. Members of the Spring Break Campaign Committee oversee the effort by organizing and assisting with leadership development, itinerary planning, travel arrangements, financial management and recruiting. Individual campaign leaders are interviewed by the SBC Committee and selected each September, and sign-ups for student participants take place the first week of November. This allows leaders time to make trip arrangements with destination contacts, make plans regarding ministry activities, and develop budgets for each campaign. And it allows student participants to decide which campaign they want to participate in based on destination, ministry focus and costs.
Treadaway Kids : Treadaway Kids' mission is to strive to bring the word and love of Jesus to the children of Abilene. Student volunteers pick up participating children on Thursday nights and bring them to the designated program location (currently the University Church of Christ Fellowship Hall/Gym) where they get time to play together as well as share in Bible study lessons and activities for 1 ½ hours. The ministry of sharing Christ’s love with underprivileged children each week has deeply affected the lives of the children who participate (and the students who volunteer). Since the children form strong bonds with the students they work with week after week, volunteers are asked to be very committed to participating each week throughout the school year (with exceptions) before they sign up to be a Treadaway Kid volunteer.
Weekend Campaigns : Each semester this group organizes two to three weekend trips to various locations that are within driving distance from ACU. They serve and share Christ’s love with the members of the community that they visit. A weekend campaign is similar to a mini-Spring Break Campaign.
Wildcat Kids: ACU students who sign up for Wildcat Kids are matched through Big Brothers Big Sisters with children from the Abilene community who have few positive role models in their lives. ACU students work alone or in pairs and commit to working with a specific child for one year. Once a month the program hosts fun-filled activities for partners and children such as skating, movies, meals, and holiday parties. New participants are accepted at the beginning of each fall semester for a one-year commitment (a minimum of 4 hours interaction with the matched child per month). Wildcat Kids activities as a great jumping-off point for mentoring. Participants are encouraged to spend extra time with their children between Wildcat Kid events and to continue their relationships throughout their college careers. The mission of Wildcat Kids is to show Christ to children in the city through words and actions.
