1886 Challenge

1886 Challenge - 9,330 Hours Update

Bonnie Callaway of UTC’s HUB Advisement Office volunteers alongside her mother and Disabled American Veterans (DAV) to organize the annual Jim Bowden Memorial Golf Tournament, held in honor of her late father, a DAV member. Callaway assists with registration, fundraising activities and event announcements, continuing her family’s commitment to supporting veterans.

Members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority - Desha Wilkins Smith, Amani Wilson and Messiah Underwood - volunteered at Ronald McDonald House Greater Chattanooga, cleaning the children's play area and a shared community room to help maintain a safe, welcoming environment for children and families.

Members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority - Mariame Coulibaly and Asani Knox - volunteered at a local food bank, sorting and organizing donated food items to help support individuals and families facing food insecurity as part of their commitment to community service.

Members of UTC’s Alpha Delta Pi (ADPi) sorority supported the MCR Foundation’s Cammy’s Cause 5K by assisting with event registration and providing face painting.

Members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority - Mariame Coulibaly, Asani Knox, Messiah Underwood and Amani Wilson - volunteered at the Spooky Sprint Run, providing runners with water, Gatorade and encouragement while capturing event photos as part of their commitment to community service.

Members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated—Mariame Coulibaly, Asani Knox, Messiah Underwood and Amani Wilson—volunteered at Orchard Knob Middle School’s Trunk-or-Treat event, distributing candy, engaging with families and assisting with cleanup as part of their commitment to community service.

Anne Wehunt, assistant director of strategic communications in UTC Athletics, volunteered at the ChattaJack 31, assisting with registration, base camp setup and helping paddlers launch their boards. The annual endurance race draws nearly 700 participants for a 31-mile journey along the Tennessee River from Ross’s Landing to Hale’s Bar Marina.

More than 30 members of ADPi cooked and cleaned for families staying at the local Ronald McDonald House. 

Members of ADPi served as HOPE Campaign Ambassadors for the month of September. Girls wore buttons to advertise the campaign, tabled with Ronald McDonald House at a Lookouts game and the Chattanooga Market, collected pop tabs for Ronald McDonald House at the Lookouts games, attended the HOPE Campaign luncheon, and distributed rack cards to local businesses to spread awareness of this nonprofit. They also volunteered at the Run4Kids and prepared candy and popcorn bags for a movie night at the Ronald McDonald House.

Professor of Chemistry and Department Head Dr. Keenan Dungey hosed a “Mad Scientist” demo booth at the Spirits in the Garden fundraising event for Grace Episcopal Church.  He provided demonstrations and activity stations for children (and some adults) to share the "magic" of chemistry.

UTC Doctor of Physical Therapy faculty member Ashley Schilling and students Emma Morgan, Haley Eskins, Bo Pobanz and Sierra Murray volunteered at Scenic City Trykes’ fall giveaway, helping provide adaptive tricycles to children with disabilities and the Chattanooga Autism Center, promoting mobility, inclusion and independence across the community.

Members of the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Physics and Astronomy hosted a booth at the Chattanooga Imagination Fest, a new family-centered STEAM festival on Wednesday October 14. Designed for kids, families, and the community at large, this one-day festival will bring together art, imagination, technology, making, and hands-on discovery in a fun, welcoming outdoor setting. 

The College of Arts and Sciences volunteers to serve lunch 2-3 times each month with the Chatt Foundation. This group includes Nominanda Barbosa (BGE), Jose Barbosa (BGE), Pam Riggs-Gelasco (CAS), Chelsie Couch (Art), Chris Cox (Math) and Tim Gaudin (BGE).

Kirsten Green and Ahmet Kule from the Criminal Justice Department are part of the many volunteers from the College of Arts and Sciences volunteers who serve lunch 2-3 times each month with the Chatt Foundation.

The Mocs in the City class with Dr. Tammy Garland and Bryant Fairley volunteered at the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer for the United Way Day of Caring. Ansley Bruce, Ava Sasser, Carson Vandergriff, Celia Plourde, Chloe Millraney, Dakota Camacho, Elise Hunt, Emma Cameron, Gisele Fuentes, Samantha Audy, Frederick Sims, Gwyneth Cochran and Mattie Rhea were the students who put together picnic tables and chairs as well as did some light cleaning all while learning about the awesome services the organization provides.

Members of Advisors Council, including Dr. Tammy Garland, Juan Ortiz, Elizabeth Johnson, Abigail Krueger, Barbara Thompson, Melissa Tinkman, Elizabeth Johnson, Lauren Ouwerkerk and Tiffany Williams attended a volunteer event at the Chattanooga Area Food Bank to highlight a sample of volunteer work that is done as a Community Engagement Minor.

UTC volunteers came together for Dolly Day at Tommie F. Brown Academy on Sept. 25, with 47 students, faculty, staff and retirees contributing more than 65 hours of service. Volunteers connected with approximately 250 Pre-K through fifth-grade students through classroom reading, recess and student clubs, highlighting UTC’s commitment to service, community partnership and meaningful connections across generations.

Stephanie Brennan from UTC’s School of Education reads to students at Tommie F. Brown Academy as part of Dolly Day on Sept. 25. Brennan was among 47 UTC students, faculty, staff and retirees who volunteered throughout the day, connecting with approximately 250 students through reading, recess and student clubs.

Graduate Athletic Training Students volunteered at the medical tent at the finish line of Ironman Chattanooga!

A total of 44 UTC Physical Therapy students, along with 10 from Athletic Training, and other recent graduates from the NP, PT and AT programs volunteered over 350 hours at the medical tent during IRONMAN Chattanooga. 

UTC students Abby Black, Monique Hernandez and Emma Black, from left, volunteered at a water table during IRONMAN Chattanooga on Sept. 27. Led by co-captains Dr. Nikolasa Tejero and Dr. Charlene Simmons, 54 UTC students and faculty from the Arts & Sciences Residential College and the College of Arts & Sciences contributed 169 service hours at Run Aid Station 1, supporting approximately 1,330 athletes. With family and community volunteers joining the effort, the team filled 80 volunteer shifts and contributed 240 hours of service. Run Aid Station 1 was later recognized as the race’s Best Run Aid Station.

Campus Rec's Coordinator of Intramurals Amy Slagle served as a co-captain of a run aid station for the full Ironman race in September.

Member of UTC's Career Connections, including Marli Wolff, Kristin Pope, Judy Gregory, Haley Shields and Kelley Chambers, worked at the Chattanooga Area Foodbank as part of the Day of Caring.  They worked as a team to fill nearly 450 bags and boxes of food for families in the community.

Members of the National Society of Black Engineers, along with Robert Dorsett from Veterans and Military Affairs, spent the United Way Day of Caring with the City of Chattanooga Parks and Recreation.  There they built hammock structures and picked up trash.  

Members of the Rollins Scholars contributed to UTC’s 1886 Challenge by volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House, where they helped clean and prepare the house to welcome its next group of residents.

Dr. Liz Hathaway led students in the HEALTH Residential Learning Community in volunteering with First-Centenary United Methodist Church’s ABIDE Respite Ministry where they organized a game of Scattergories with program participants.

AMFY (A Mocs’ First Year) instructors Tammy Garland and Briant Fairley led their Mocs in the City class in volunteering at the J.A. Henry YMCA, where students packed snack packs for after-school programs across the greater Chattanooga area.

Chelsea Couch, a faculty member in UTC’s Department of Art, is contributing to the 1886 Challenge through her volunteer work with SEED Chattanooga. Couch has participated in community garden workdays at Hardy Elementary and the Jessie Igor Community Center, helping with garden cleanup, harvesting and planting alongside other volunteers to support SEED Chattanooga’s work in the community.

Ashley Schilling, a faculty member in UTC’s Physical Therapy program, is adding hours to the 1886 Challenge through her volunteer work with Scenic City Trykes, a local chapter of National AMBUCS. Schilling helps raise funds for, build and fit adaptive tricycles customized to meet the individual needs of children with disabilities—helping improve safety, mobility and independence for children in the Chattanooga community.

UTC Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) students were among more than 80 students and faculty from UTC’s nursing, occupational therapy and physical therapy programs who volunteered at Camp Horizon. Pictured, front row from left: Gracie Wharton, Audrey Johnson and Elsa Libby. Second row: Faba Raju, Sophia Gray and Ellie Dean. Back row: Jordan Powell, Yayla Blodgett-White, AL Newton, Marvin Garagan, Elise Hart and Sarah Bell.

The primary goal of Camp Horizon is to provide local children with physical disabilities the opportunity to experience an overnight summer camp just as their peers get to. The camp was founded 21 years ago by a UTC DPT alum, Dr. Lindsey Sharpe, and many UTC alumni continue to serve as volunteer staff. Approximately 80 UTC DPT, OTD, and nursing students serve as counselors, working in interdisciplinary teams of 2–3 counselors assigned to each camper. Throughout the weekend they work to promote participation and maximize independence while campers get to do all the "camp things" like canoeing, swimming, archery, crafts, low ropes, fishing and even a campfire talent show. DPT and OTD faculty served on the camp planning board and attended camp to support students. This incredibly valuable volunteer service-learning experience is a student favorite!

Deborah Barr and Ziwei Ma from Mathematics helped the Chattanooga Area Food Bank and the Nehemiah Project R3 for the annual Backpack Chattanooga initiative, which packed and distributed 12,000 backpacks filled with school supplies for local students ahead of the 2026-27 school year.

Twyler Boykin. Upward Bound Math/Science Program Director, volunteered for Backpack Pack Day 2026for the Nehemiah Project R3.  She helped pack 12,000 backpacks for students across our community as they headed back to school.

Physical Therapy faculty and students worked with SPARC (Sports, Arts, and Recreation Chattanooga) and participated in adaptive cycling on August 24. They assisting with equipment set-up and riding with athletes with differing abilities.

The UTC School of Education set up and hosted a back to school celebration for the students and faculty of Tommie F. Brown Academy on Sept. 3.  Highlight by a performance from the UTC Marching Mocs, the event was a hit- attended by TFBA faculty, staff, community members, families, and students. 

Scrappy and over 50 student-athletes and coaches helped out at the Hamilton County Schools Back to School Bash on August 2, 2026.  

Third-year Physical Therapy student Nathan Krough, along with other faculty and students from the Physical Therapy program, worked with SPARC to train athletes for Adaptive Water Ski Day on August 1, 2026.  

Selia Jablonski – Marketing major and Spanish minor - recently volunteered at Catoosa Kids Day where she helped the participants set up, handed out thousands of backpacks to families in need and ensured that families were aware of all of the resources available for them.

UTC student Margaret Coulter recently volunteered to play pedal harp in the Medical Mall main lobby at Erlanger Hospital.  She also played Boys of Ballisodare on clarinet.

Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Katelyn Hancock and criminal justice students Kolbie Bobo, Jacob Brown, Kaitlin Brown, Reina Castaneda and Larissa Ogle volunteered with Camp HOPE America on July 26-31.

Kinlee Allen from Residence Life took a group of RAs to volunteer at the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.

UTC Physical Therapy student Jake Spurgeon volunteered to participate with adaptive athletes in the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon on June 28, 2026.  

Tammy Garland served as a volunteer and chaperone at ASP for middle/high school youth from St. Peter’s Episcopal Church (June 21-27, 2026) to assist those affected by Hurricane Helene. Groups built a wheelchair accessible deck for a new home and replaced flooring in a renovated home.