Belmont’s Student Government Association, in partnership with Hands on Nashville, brought together more than 150 students for the annual Bruin Den Day.

The students spent five hours on Saturday, April 12, doing service projects in the Belmont neighborhood at sites including Carter Lawrence Elementary Magnet School, Wedgewood Community Center and Dismas House.

“We wanted to create a meaningful service experience for students,” said Price Rainer, SGA president, “yet maintain the focus on our local community. Partnering with Hands on Nashville to plug in Belmont students with local organizations was a perfect fit.”

This year’s Bruin Den Day marked a new focus for the annual Belmont event. The idea was to extend input into more of the neighborhood by partnering with Hands on Nashville, which specializes in connecting groups of volunteers with organizations in need of help. 

In years past, students have taken requests from homeowners around Belmont’s campus and have served by mowing lawns, washing windows, etc., but this year’s broader focus served a larger community.

 “Hands On Nashville is pleased to work with Belmont’s student leaders to reach deeper into the Nashville community through volunteerism,” said Brian Williams, Hands On Nashville’s executive director. “Assisting Belmont students in hands-on service to eight different entities betters the community, while actualizing our agency’s mission.”
 
The complete list of sites included Carter Lawrence Elementary Magnet School, Dismas House, Edgehill Center, Hospital Hospitality House, Lakeshore Wedgewood, Wedgewood Community Garden, Fall-Hamilton Enhanced Option School and The Habitat HomeStore.