UGA Student Leads National Service Projects at Conference in Knoxville

Traci Jarrett, a family and consumer sciences education major at The University of Georgia and vice chair of outreach and service for the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) Student Unit (SU), along with other SU national officers, led two community service projects in Knoxville, Tennessee, during the recent AAFCS 100th Annual Conference & Expo.

More than 50 students and other conference attendees picked up trash near the Knoxville Convention Center as part of “Keep Knoxville Beautiful.” Students also worked with Lions Club International to collect over 500 used prescription and non-prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses for the “Recycle for Sight” program. The students presented the donations to Clare Crawford, a member of the Knox County North Lions Club.

“Each year millions of used eyeglasses collected by the Lions help change the lives of poor citizens in developing countries around the world. The Lions are grateful for caring partners like AAFCS in our mission to improve the lives of our fellow citizens,” said Crawford.

“As members, we are celebrating 100 years of AAFCS. When choosing our service project, the other Student Unit officers and I wanted to choose a project that would embody the governing principles of AAFCS. Our organization’s vision is ‘bringing people together to improve the lives of individuals, families and communities,’ and by participating in the Recycle for Sight project, members are doing just that,” noted Jarrett.

Founded in 1909 by Ellen Swallow Richards, the first woman graduate and professor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), AAFCS is the only national not-for-profit organization that provides leadership and support to FCS students and professionals across multiple practice settings.

FCS professionals help individuals, families, and communities make informed decisions about their well-being, relationships, and resources to achieve optimal quality of life. AAFCS’ 6,000 members are elementary, secondary, and post-secondary educators, researchers, and administrators; Cooperative Extension educators; and other professionals in business and industry, not-for-profit organizations, and government.

These professionals provide research and applied knowledge in the areas of personal finance, child development and parenting, consumer education, housing and environment, apparel and textiles, and health and nutrition. With national headquarters based in Alexandria, Va., AAFCS has 52 affiliates located across the United States and Puerto Rico.
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