Everything Nac

To a passerby, it might look like a typical, white brick storage building — nothing more than a place to house excess furniture and goods. But to Stephen F. Austin State University interior design students and staff members from Love In the Name of Christ, a non-profit Christian organization, the building is a blank canvas and a fresh start.

SFA interior design students have partnered with representatives from Love INC to renovate a storage building, located on Ruby Street in Nacogdoches, into a bathing and laundry facility for the Nacogdoches homeless community.

“Love INC is part of a nationwide faith-based organization that gives back to the community and those less fortunate,” said Mark Bridges, vice chairman of Love INC and a member of the buildings and grounds committee responsible for the project.

Love INC received an anonymous donation to buy the building, and Bridges said he approached Sally Ann Swearingen, associate professor in SFA’s School of Human Sciences, for help with the renovation.

“I’m always wanting to give back to the community, so I thought I should get all the interior design students — from freshmen to seniors — to work on this project,” Swearingen said.

Approximately 65 interior design students are involved in the renovation, which surpassed Bridges’ expectations.

“It’s beyond what I anticipated. The response from SFA is amazing,” Bridges said. “I pray it will be a wonderful experience and that we can teach the students what it’s like to give back to the community and to use their gifts for people when they may never see any payment for it.”

Last week, SFA students began the project by visiting the storage building to measure the facility and meet with Love INC’s board of directors and employees. During the meeting, students discussed Love INC’s needs and vision for the structure. The renovations will convert the storage unit into a facility with bathing areas, a laundry area and a one-room apartment for a person or family to shelter for a night or two.

“It feels good to give back and work on a project that will actually be built,” said Haley Gibbert, a senior interior design major from Texarkana, Texas. “This is going to help people, and it’s not just for a grade.”

Students had one day to create a name and logo and to design interior and exterior perspectives and a handicapped accessible floor plan of the storage building to present to Love INC. After Love INC representatives select a design, SFA interior design seniors will perfect and present it to the city.

“This is an opportunity for Love INC to minister and share the gospel to people who have never heard it or have never seen it in person,” said Rebecca Bumpurs, an SFA interior design sophomore from Port Lavaca, Texas. “The gospel isn’t just words, it’s actions. You can show the gospel through your actions and love for somebody else. This is what they are doing for the community.”

The timeline for this project is indefinite, but Bridges said he hopes Love INC will be able to build the facility as quickly as possible.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host a special presentation at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St. Brent Heath, a third-generation bulb grower, will present “Bulbs of the Deep South.”

Brent is a co-owner with his wife, Becky, of Brent and Becky’s Bulbs, a Virginia-based wholesale and retail mail-order bulb catalog and website business that offers numerous types of bulbs for sale to botanical gardens, cities, universities, landscape designers and gardeners across the country. The Heaths are daffodil hybridizers and have a number of small, multi-flowered, fragrant hybrids.

The couple has co-authored two books, “Daffodils for North American Gardens” and “Tulips for North American Gardens.” The Heaths also have both been featured guests on national television programs, including “The Victory Garden,” “Karen’s Garden” and “Martha Stewart.”

The Heaths have received numerous recognitions, including a Gold Medal of Honor from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in January 2001 and an individual Commercial Gold Medal from the American Horticultural Society in June 2001. In August 2002, the Garden Writer’s Association presented the Heaths with a lifetime achievement award by inducting them into the Garden Writer’s Hall of Fame.

The Wall Street Journal voted Brent and Becky’s Bulbs the “Best Bulb Company in America,” and in April 2003, the American Daffodil Society awarded Brent with a Gold Medal of Honor for popularizing and promoting the use of daffodils.

The cost of the seminar is $10, and tickets can be purchased online at sfagardens.sfasu.edu. Parking is available at the nearby Raguet Elementary School, 2428 Raguet St., with continual shuttle service to the Brundrett Conservation Education Building.

For more information, call (936) 468-4129 or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s Rusche College of Business is hosting an Evening with Executives at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14, in the McGee Building, Room 133, on the university campus.

Citizens National Bank CEO Brad Tidwell and his executive team will provide a “State of the Industry” address in which Tidwell will discuss his views of the banking industry and economy. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions after the address.

Dr. Todd Brown, associate dean of the Rusche College of Business, has helped organize the event and is looking forward to offering students a unique experience.

“This event is a great opportunity to give students real-world insights into banking and business in general. Furthermore, it allows students to network with business leaders,” Brown said.

Evening with Executives is part of the college’s Student Success Passport Program, which encourages students to hone their professional skills while competing for scholarships. The program works on a point system, and students can earn points by completing assignments and attending events.

“We are excited to incorporate this event into the Passport Program,” said Megan Sellers, coordinator for career success and corporate engagement in the College of Business. “It will be an amazing opportunity for students to network and hear authentic stories from these professionals.”

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