Members of the campus community, AmeriCorp, and several Old South Baton Rouge residents gathered at an old Lutheran cemetery Monday to clean it up as a part of Veteran’s Day celebration.
Volunteers and AmeriCorp members are Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas residents who wanted to help contribute to the community.
The project began with the University’s community service program to clear the debris around the graves.
The project is a collaboration to give back to the community, said Renee Myer, assistant to the chancellor. Volunteers spent the day cutting trees and overgrown grass. They also made changes to make the graves look more presentable.
“The purpose was to contribute to the community by cleaning up the neglected cemetery,” said Judy Bethly, Community-University Partnership spokesperson. “This is a long-term commitment LSU hopes to do on a regular basis.”
AmeriCorp member Delovely Williams, from West Memphis, Ark., came to help with the project.
“My focus is to better the community,” Williams said. “I am pleased with the progress so far.”
Jan Shoemaker, director of the LSU Service-Learning program, said the program wanted volunteers to contribute to the community needs.
The SLP includes students who can achieve academic goals as well as help with community needs.
“Since the project has begun, I hope it gets finished,” said Paulette Cartwright, an AmeriCorp member. “It will take a lot of time, but we are glad we could help.”
In addition, LSU hopes to establish a class in the future to explore the cemetery’s historical value.