Incoming freshmen to Georgia Southern University have four years to make an indelible mark on the community they’ll soon call home.
    Though, why wait?
    That is the mindset of 80 future students who have decided to spend a week this summer bolstering their new city through work with the university’s BUILD (Building Undergraduate Involvement and Leadership Development) program.
    Before the new Eagles sit through their first lecture or even move into a residence hall, they will assist with volunteer projects throughout Statesboro.
    “BUILD is a program for incoming freshmen who donate a week of their summer to help serve the local Statesboro community,” said Jodi Middleton, university assistant director of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement. “The new students can meet other incoming freshmen and build great relationships before
beginning school in the fall. They are also able to establish a closer connection with Statesboro by doing services around the community.”
    “The students can become invested in their new community right from the start,” she said. “We want to instill a love of volunteerism, and hopefully the students will continue to serve local agencies throughout their time here.”
    The two-week program welcomed its first group of builders Monday — 40 students participate each week — which teamed with local organizations to participate in home construction and repair jobs.
    Wednesday, students strapped on tool belts, wielded hammers, shovels and paint brushes, as they spent the day working at a new Habitat for Humanity home and on the Kiwanis/Ogeechee Fairgrounds.
    “We have helped set up fence posts for the Fair — which will hopefully raise a lot of money to help the community — and worked to construct a house,” said Ryan Hobbs, a Dublin native who decided to attend Georgia Southern for the school’s “small-town feel” and international studies program.
    “The reason I did BUILD is: too often we focus on what is going on around the world and forget there are people that need help here at home,” he said. “Working hard to help someone else get through a tough time is really a great feeling.”
    Hobbs and a small group of workers — who say they learned about the program during the university’s orientation for new students — spent Wednesday morning driving nails and working with local Habitat for Humanity volunteers to construct the new Proctor Street home.
    Other volunteers worked to prepare the fairgrounds for the 50th anniversary of the Kiwanis/Ogeechee Fair in October. Students applied fresh coats of paint the grounds’ buildings, repaired falling structures and planted gardens, said Middleton.     The group of students wrapped up their week of service Thursday, she said — A new crowd, along with sophomore BUILD leaders, will start anew Monday.
    According to Middleton, the BUILD program — now in its sixth year — has grown consistently since its first class of 40 students in 2006.
    “We just wanted to create a program for students that would get them invested in Statesboro and feel a connection with Georgia Southern,” she said. “It has been a great program for our office and the students that have been involved.”
    Program alumni offer the same positive review.
    “I think BUILD is a fantastic opportunity for students to meet peers with similar interests and, while making those connections, make a positive impact in the community,” said Kelsey Kean, a sophomore BUILD Leader. “It is an incredible opportunity for these students to hit the ground running and make a difference from the beginning.”
    “To be a part of this program has been just incredible. BUILD fosters a sense of community and that is what attracted me to coming back,” she said. “I think it is such a testament to what Georgia Southern is all about.”
   
    Jeff Harrison can be reached at (912) 489-9454.