(Above) Sgt. Johnny Hollifield of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office presents a certificate of appreciation to a Western Carolina University political science class that raised more than $900 for the Shop with a Cop Program. Another political science class raised more than $600 for the Community Table of Jackson County.

Students in two Western Carolina University political science classes in “Active Citizenship” took the title of their courses to heart during the fall semester as they participated in a series of fundraising activities to benefit a pair of local charitable organizations.

Students in the classes, led by visiting assistant professor Fred Fisher of WCU’s department of political science and public affairs, raised more than $600 for the Community Table of Jackson County and more than $900 for the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Shop with a Cop Program.

“Because we want our first-year students to become active citizens in the community in which they are studying, we think it is important for them to take part in a service-learning project that will help them connect with the community and that will result in tangible benefits for the people of the region,” Fisher said. “Both the Jackson County Community Table and the Shop with a Cop Program provide meaningful support to some of the less-fortunate residents of the county.”

Both classes collected donations at booths set up in A.K. Hinds University Center on the WCU campus, and students also carried buckets to accept contributions from fellow students in the residence halls where they live.

“One couple took it upon themselves to sell hugs for a buck, and they raised a lot of money,” Fisher said. “Others sold cookies and candies.”

Representatives of the Community Table and Jackson County Sheriff’s Office visited campus in early December to meet with the students and accept the contributions.

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Last modified: Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007