Service learning projects are often a large part of ILA courses. The professor challenges groups of 5-6 students to create and implement a meaningful semester-long community service activity. Over the years, projects have been very creative and made a significant impact in the Athens community.

Dr. Vikki Clawson's class completed the following 6 local service projects in Fall 2006:

1 - Thomas Lay Park Community Center: Thanksgiving Dinner for Underprivileged Children - Meghan, Jared, Amanda, Boomer, and Karen planned and hosted a Thanksgiving Dinner and Party. The Thomas Lay Park Community Center's purpose is to enrich the lives of the children by providing educational, healthy and fun activities. The team provided a traditional Thanksgiving dinner while emphasizing the goodwill of the holiday season. The main event was the meal prepared for 45 children along with parents, teachers and community center workers. The party activities included: face painting, cookie decorating, and holiday craft-making. The team raised funds, cooked, and cleaned up to make this a wonderful service experience for the children.

2 - Clarke Middle School: Eighth Grade Prep Rally: The Importance of Education - Bailey, Ellina, Lindsey, Chris, and Heather worked with school counselors, Tharon Johnson - Deputy Chief of Staff for Congressman John Barrow, high school leaders and UGA basketball team members to provide an enthusiastic "prep rally" on the critical importance of education for the eighth graders at Clarke Middle School. Prizes, speakers and diverse personal messages on the benefits of education created the perfect blend of motivation and reality for these young students.

3 - Athens Area Homeless Shelter: Halloween Fest - Kramer, Tess, Brit, James, and David focused on the issue of children and poverty in Athens-Clarke County by providing a Halloween Fest for the children at a local shelter. The team's mission was to provide the children living in the shelter with "a Halloween to remember". The Halloween Fest included an on-site pizza party, the distribution of "specified" costumes for each child to wear, and taking the children trick or treating. Comments from family members, children and staff demonstrated the impact of this Team's effort summarized here in one child's voice, "I was dreading Halloween, but you being here changed that...it was one of the best Halloweens I have ever had!"

4 - Classic City Performance Learning Center: Jittery Joe's Business Manual and Support Training - Kim, Alex, Ilan, Erin, and Nathan provided continuity and leadership to an existing project at CCPLC. Working with Jittery Joe's student workers and CCPLC school administrators, the team helped develop and document critical business practices in four key areas: Financial Accounting and Inventory Management, Health code standards, Marketing, and Human Resources. The team spent significant time interviewing the student workers at Jittery Joe's CCPLC, observing work practices and discussing the business issues of the on-site school business. The results and benefits of the project included: the development of the Jittery Joe's Business Manual - a 40-page hard copy and digital document of effective business practices for Jittery Joe's at CCPLC; new tools for tracking cash flows and profits; increased confidence and less reliance by student workers on school administration to run "their" business.

5 - Iris Place Assisted Living Home: A Ball with the Dawgs - Sarah, Brooke, Dave, Brian S, and Geoff focused on the "greatest generation"- 80 resident senior citizens at Iris Place. The team planned and implemented the "Have a Ball with the Dawgs" night which was a UGA-themed event with everyone wearing red and black. The Ball lasted for 2 hours and consisted of performances by The Redcoat Marching Band, Noteworthy (an a cappella group), and The Swing Dance Club. The Ballroom Dancing Society demonstrated several dances and provided a few simple dance lessons. The last segment of the evening was spent dancing with some of the residents to some fun swing music. To conclude the evening, all the Iris Place women were handed a fresh red rose. The Ball with the Dawgs was a memorable service event that brought back great memories of earlier years for the residents and provided them with some company and attention.

6 - Clarke Central High School: Teaching At-Risk Students about the Free Enterprise System - Sabrina, Lauren, Bryan D, Bryan M, and Andrew targeted a class of ~30 at-risk students to teach the basics of entrepreneurship and free enterprise over 6 weekly morning sessions. Topics for the sessions included the history of capitalism, personal financial success skills, and leadership skills as well as insights from professional speakers. Team Smart logged over 200 service hours of teaching and preparation time to serve the at-risk student community. The sessions were conducted in-class and in collaboration with current curriculum. The project was funded by a $5,000 grant from the Marcus Foundation. The team's overall goal was to inform the targeted students of opportunities available through the free enterprise system to spark the students' interest in business and to provide valuable insights into what opportunities were available through business and what could be achieved with creativity and hard work.