Phi Beta Lambda initiates community service project

The Mu Omega Chapter of Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) at Lenoir Community College initiated a community service project by connecting chapters with other local Phi Beta Lambda and Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapters.

PBL-FBLA chapters from LCC, Johnston Community College, Mount Olive College and Rosewood High School met at the center recently and packed more than 700 kits for the "Reach Out to Afghanistan With Love" project. These kits included basic school supplies that the 9.6 million children and teachers lack to start school with in March of 2003.

LCC PBL invited chapters from surrounding counties to participate in the project associated with The Marion Edwards Recovery Center Initiatives (MERCI) located in Goldsboro in the Rosewood community.

MERCI is a program of the North Carolina Conference United Methodist Church. As an outgrowth of the disaster recovery effort following Hurricane Floyd, MERCI not only works with families affected by disasters, but also with low income families looking for a better way of life. Using volunteer labor, MERCI repairs and replaces substandard homes in eastern North Carolina while helping the families adjust to the financial and maintenance issues of home ownership.

The warehouse also serves as a center for training disaster relief workers; storing emergency response materials; and collecting, sorting, and boxing food, clothing, and medical supplies for the NC Conference's worldwide mission projects.

This project is only one of the many community service projects LCC PBL has planned for the upcoming school year to help supply resources and gifts of peace to the community and this war-torn land.

FBLA-PBL is a non-profit educational association of students preparing for careers in business and business- related fields. The FBLA division is for high school students interested in a business or business-related career. The PBL division is for college or post-secondary students pursuing a business or business- related career. The Professional Division is for business people, educators, parents, and anyone who has an interest in and supports the goals of FBLA-PBL.

Pictured left to right, front,: Jamie Minchew, Rosewood High FBLA; second row, Sabrina Martin, Rosewood High FBLA; Rondi Sugg, LCC PBL; Dondi Duff-Byrd, LCC PBL President; Andrew Dail, MOC Men's Soccer Team; back row, Terrence Angelo, MOC Men's Soccer Team; Jenny Jones, LCC PBL Vice-President; Walter Martin, LCC PBL Advisor; Jim Daniels, NC PBL Eastern Region Vice-President-Johnston Community College; Juane Schutte, MOC PBL; Schohaib Mehran, MOC PBL; Chris Jackson, Wayne Community College. Not Pictured are: Kim Miller, Katelyn Miller, and Ty Adams, LCC PBL; and Yolanda Madry, Rosewood High FBLA.