NSG Lends a Helping Paw

Leslie Arietta

On Saturday September 12th members of the National Sorority Interest Group (NSG) of Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT) lent a helping paw to the community. NSG members woke up early to serve at the Animal Care and Adoption Center of Texarkana.

Serving at the animal shelter was not typical playing with dogs and cats. The members were split into groups to help clean and organize different areas. Some members volunteered with the cats and the others with the dogs. The cat volunteers organized the cat food and supplies in the pantry. The dog volunteers split up into multiple groups around the area. NSG members got their hands dirty washing dog bowls and organizing the supply rooms, the back of the animal shelter, and the office and bathroom areas in the front.

When all the hard work was done NSG volunteers finally got to interact with the dogs and cats. They got to bathe the dogs that were dirty while others were cleaning out the cat boxes. Just spending a couple of hours with these homeless animals makes a difference in their lives.

The Animal Care and Adoption Center was the first of the many community service hours NSG will be doing and it is open to any volunteers in the community. Not only was it a good opportunity for community service, it was also an opportunity for NSG to bond in their sisterhood and become a part of something bigger than their organization.

Clydesdales Trot into Texarkana


One of the Budweiser Clydesdales in His Regalia at Spring Lake Park.

One of the Budweiser Clydesdales in His Regalia at Spring Lake Park.

Garrett Griffin

The “clankity, clankity, clank” of horseshoes pounding the pavement under the weight of some of the largest horses in the world entertained hundreds on Saturday, August 30th. Earlier that week, the Budweiser Clydesdales came to Spring Lake Park as a part of a celebration of excellence for Eagle Distributing, of Texarkana, Ark. The company was to be awarded the distinction of being a Budweiser “Ambassador of Excellence,” a title only seventeen other distributors in the country have obtained.

The main attraction was the horses that have mesmerized thousands across the United States since their first appearance eight decades ago. On Saturday, the horses and their wagon were at Spring Lake Park in Texarkana, Texas. With hundreds of people on the grassy mall in the center of the park the horses trotted their 16,000 pound combined weight displaying their true power and beauty as children ran alongside at a distance.

One of the Trained Dalmations Lays Down on the Job.

One of the Trained Dalmations Lays Down on the Job.

The eight hefty horses stopped on the southeast corner allowing the onlookers to get a closer glimpse of them and their wagon, with its trained Dalmatian dog and two drivers. Mr. Tim O’Neal, the owner of Eagle Distributing, was along for the ride. After allowing the public to admire the horses, the drivers of the wagon guided it towards the stage where Mr. O’Neal made his way to the platform for the ceremony. It was announced on stage, by a Budweiser representative, that Eagle Distributing is the first dealer to be awarded the “AOE” status in Arkansas.

Mr. O’Neal first received a custom red jacket embroidered with a Budweiser Clydesdale on the chest. Next the “Ambassador of Excellence” award was uncovered. It was a large bronze figure of “Big Jake,” a Clydesdale who is traditionally the largest in the team. Finally, he and his wife were presented with a special Clydesdale horse blanket with their company’s name on it. This blanket is the same as the ones the horses wear on the farms at the famous Busch Gardens in Missouri.

Mr. O'Neal Admires "Big Jake."

Mr. O’Neal Admires “Big Jake.”

After accepting the awards Mr. O’Neal made said the employees were the real reason for the award and they were the ones that made it possible. In addition, $5,000 was donated to the local chapter of the Boy Scouts of America. After the ceremony, visitors were welcomed to come and have their photo taken with one of the horses.

Puppy Service

Alyssa Howard

How important is community service to you? Have you ever thought of all the organizations within your community that desperately need volunteers to assist in their services? Look around; you will easily find an organization to share your time with.

Community service is one of the National Panhellenic Council’s strong values. We strive to serve our university and our community the best we can. For the past couple of weeks we have held a donation drive for The Texarkana Animal Shelter. The donations we needed were dog and cat food, cleaning supplies, blankets and/or towels, and coins. At the end of the two weeks, we raised 20 dollars in coins, several sacks of 16, 50, and 100 pound dog food, 16 pound sacks of cat food, cans of dog and cat food, cleaning supplies, towels, and blankets. We want to give our appreciation to everyone that contributed to our donation drive.

Last Sunday we delivered all of the donations to the shelter and volunteered for three hours. We showed up on a perfect day, because they needed a big cleaning before the mayor comes in two weeks. There were 13 of us that arrived to work, so we split up into two groups. One group went downstairs, and the rest of us worked upstairs. First, we washed and dried all of the food bowls. Of course we made an assembly line, that way we could get the job done quicker.
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After we washed dishes, we scrubbed every pen with a detergent/bleach mixture. Warning: if clumps of hair grosses you out, do not scrub the floor of a dog pen with a sponge. It was quite comical hearing some of the girls gagging and squealing. It was also great to see the teamwork happening while cleaning the pens. After we finished a couple of them, there seemed to be a pattern that we caught on to. Everyone had a certain job that they did, and it worked perfectly.
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Next, we did laundry and organized one of the closets full of blankets, towels, and rugs. After we finished, our curiosity got the best of us, and we decided to travel downstairs to check on the other girls. Upon arriving, we learn that they have been holding some of the most adorable puppies we have ever seen. As soon as we saw small, fluffy balls of playfulness, we were sold. Minutes later, we discover a carrier full of another ten puppies. Our minds became overloaded with happiness. The employees could tell we were puppy lovers, so we got to bathe about 13 puppies. It was very interesting to see the difference in puppy personalities during bath time. Some went completely stiff, others went “panic attack mode” and splashed soap and water all over the place. In other words, bath time was quite comical.
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At the end of our volunteer experience, the employees gave us their deepest appreciation. We made their day much easier, while their animals made our hearts warmer. If anyone is looking for community service hours or just wants to volunteer their time to help the community, please consider going to The Texarkana Animal Shelter. They can always use help and donations. Also, if anyone is looking for a new pet, please adopt one from the shelter. There is an abundance of sweet animals that need a loving home. The best pets are rescue animals.
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How can you deny that face?
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By:Alyssa Howard

(I copied and pasted the images, but let me know if they showed up or not please. I can send them to you, if not.)