Approximately 1,700 members of the Tech community gathered at the campanile in order to participate in TEAM Buzz, an annual day of service geared toward improving the Atlanta area this past weekend.
Initially founded with the idea of bringing the Tech community together while simultaneously providing service to the Atlanta community, TEAM Buzz organizers provided breakfast, a guest speaker, lunch, t-shirts and a post-service celebration to the hundreds of students that volunteered their Saturday morning.
“It’s nice to have a day devoted to getting off campus and doing some good,” said Nate Muller, the Outreach Chair for TEAM Buzz, who attributed the success of TEAM Buzz to the change in scenery it provides Tech students. “Existing in our little stressful bubble in the middle of Atlanta, [we like] to get that warm feeling of helping out someone else rather than having to think about your thermo homework.”
Attendees could choose from approximately 32 projects, including those that focused on the environment, education, animal rights and medical care, each of which lasted approximately three hours and required participants to venture out into different communities. Grant Park Conservancy, Discovery Program, Furkids, Inc. and MedShare were some examples of the projects available for students to choose.
Joseph Taylor, a first grader at Flat Shoals Elementary, was one of the students who received tutoring by volunteers via the Discovery Program, a student-led Saturday tutoring and enrichment program.
“My favorite part was counting the strawberries,” Taylor said, who practiced his math skills during the tutoring session.
By the time TEAM Buzz had ended, he had answered fifty addition problems and one word problem and had won two rounds of a counting game.
Norquata Allen, a project coordinator and a second-year AE major, attributed her involvement with this year’s TEAM Buzz to past events by the organization.
“I really enjoyed [TEAM Buzz] last year and wanted to become more involved with it,” Allen said.
Despite its recent completion, plans to improve next year’s event have begun already, including serving better food options as an extra “thank you” to TEAM Buzz participants and pushing for more student body involvement.
However, TEAM Buzz isn’t restricted solely to the Atlanta campus. Chan noted that the scope of the group has grown significantly, expanding across the nation to encompass various GT alumni clubs.
In addition, Muller anticipates similar TEAM Buzz events to occur at other universities across the nation. He adds that international TEAM Buzz participation has occurred in France and Amsterdam this year.
The ultimate goal in the end, announced by the the organizers during the morning’s organizational period, has been and will continue to be to get as many people as possible to embrace the idea of “The BUZZness of giving back.”