Giles County’s ACCE “All In” Program Focuses on Community Service and Volunteerism

Giles County announced that ‘ACCE All In’ will be their new student community service portion of the Access to Community College Education program (ACCE). ACCE All In will take the place of the Muddy ACCE Race and will build on existing service projects to directly serve Giles County and its residents. This new ACCE initiative simply titled, “All In” allows students to give back to their community who so generously supports them. Students complete volunteer hours while also learning life skills and the importance of giving back to the community. Giles County Administrator, Chris McKlarney stated, “The Muddy ACCE Race was a tremendous success for the program and helped to build a brand around the ACCE program, but it required 3,000-5,000 volunteer man hours to construct the course every year. While it brought a lot of notoriety to the program and was a tremendous fund-raising tool, the only people really benefiting from all of that volunteer labor, were those running the race. We began to consider all the good we could do if we pour that much effort into our community every year. We also see an opportunity to connect kids with their community, to develop a sense of place and pride, to teach them some life skills, and to help them understand how important it is to volunteer in your community.”

Projects currently planned or underway include handicapped ramp construction, homeless shelter improvements, senior citizen events and supply delivery, events to support foster parents, landscaping and maintenance projects on community facilities, and community cleanup efforts including ReNew the New. New project ideas are being accepted and vetted continuously. The New River Valley Agency on Aging and Habitat For Humanity are partnering with the ACCE All In program to construct much needed handicapped access ramps for individuals. Chris McKlarney added, “We also want to partner with other businesses, local governments, and community organizations to assist with their community improvement projects. Celanese’s Global Impact program has provided thousands of volunteer hours to assist with the Muddy ACCE Race, and we hope to continue to partner with them as they do tremendous work throughout the community. The most important thing these kids can learn is what it means to be part of a community and how to contribute to it.”

The ACCE program has provided tuition free education to more than 400 Giles County students since its’ inception in 2016. Students are required to provide 100 hours of community service annually, maintain a 2.5 GPA, pass every class, and complete their area of study. Those not meeting the requirements are required to repay their scholarships in full. Just as the needs of our youth have evolved, the ACCE program is evolving to be a better version of itself while supporting the education of our young people and now having a farther-reaching impact on our community. More information can be found at GilesACCEAllIn.com or on Facebook and Instagram.