Life at MVNU
SEEK TO SERVE
MVNU's many Community and Service Ministry Opportunities (CoSMO) groups encourage students to engage in service in the local and surrounding communities and discover their passion and ways they can give back.
CoSMO groups are student led, and student initiated. We live in a community with a lot of needs & these groups were created over the years to address the various needs or Knox and surrounding counties.
Below are the groups for the current academic year. Please note these groups will be modified in accordance with COVID-19 restrictions.
“I am so thankful for the friendships I've made and for the transformation God has made in me.”
Baillie Bryan, '19
BETTER TOGETHER
Where: Jennie K Moore / MVNU Campus
Partner: Knox County Developmental Disabilities
What: MVNU students spend time with children on the autism spectrum through various types of activities and playing with them.
LUNCH BUDDIES
Where: Local elementary schools
Partner: Pleasant Street Elementary School & Columbia Elementary School
What:MVNU students are matched with a second-grade student, and they have the opportunity to mentor them, play with them at recess, and have lunch with them.
ESCAPE ZONE
Where: Escape Zone, 1 Old Mansfield Rd
Partner: The Escape Zone
What: Spending time with at risk youth of Knox County through providing a safe place to hang out on Friday nights. Rooms are full of ping pong tables, pool, board games & basketball.
MANDATE
Where: Various surrounding cities
Partner: Various non-profits and Churches
What: An urban ministry focused group that partners with ministries and organizations through weekend trips and various kinds of service projects.
PB&J CLUB
Where: Vernon Ridge Apartment Complex
Partner: Vernon Ridge Apartment Complex
What: Assembles bagged lunches & travels to the apartment complex to build solid relationships, teach bible lessons, play games, make crafts & eat the prepared PB&J lunches with the children that live there!
SCN (SOCIETY OF CHRISTIAN NURSES)
Where: Birch Lobby E
Partner: Various Partners
What: Nursing students coordinate various community events throughout the year, including screenings, first aid stations, blood drives, etc. The group also visits a local nursing home each week.
DAUGHTERS
Where:The Laurels of Mount Vernon Nursing Home
Partner:The Laurels of Mount Vernon Nursing Home
What:This group matched female MVNU students up with female residents at a local nursing home. Our students can encourage the residents, but also be encouraged by them.
SUNDAY SANCTUARY
Where: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Partner: The Winter Sanctuary
What: Ministering to the unhoused community of Mount Vernon through offering a hot meal, community time, games, and dancing.
SECOND: RED CROSS
Where:MVNU Campus
Partner: American Red Cross
What: Students recruit and assist with the function of various Blood Drives on campus for our students, faculty, staff and Mount Vernon Community.
HOLA
Where: First Church of the Nazarene
Partner: First Church of the Nazarene
What: Students have the opportunity to serve the Latinx community in Mount Vernon through tutoring the children of the families, offering homework help, and teaching basic skills, while their families are receiving support.
CRAFTING FOR KINDNESS
Where: MVNU Library
Partner: Various Partnerships
What:Students can knit and crochet hats, blankets, and things of the like for local hospitals and other organizations.
FOSTERING HOPE
Where: MVNU Library
Partner: The Linus Project
What: Students work together to make blankets for those living in Foster Care or in long term hospital care.
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