Ouachita’s annual Elrod Awards celebrate community service

Ouachita Baptist University’s Elrod Center for Family and Community honored Rachel Wicker with the Cargill Leadership Fund Award at its annual University Community Service Awards banquet April 19. Many Ouachita students, faculty and staff were also commended for their service and community leadership during the past year. “Tonight we celebrate lives of service,” said Judy Duvall, assistant director of the Elrod Center, welcoming those in attendance. “You are here tonight because serving is an integral part of your life, and when we honor you tonight, we are also honoring God, since your service reflects His character.” “One of the mandates given to the Elrod Center 20 years ago was to recognize and celebrate service as a way to highlight its value to Ouachita and to society as a whole,” noted Ian Cosh, vice president for community and international engagement and director of the Elrod Center. “The awards evening marks the culmination of a year of service and provides an opportunity for Ouachita to celebrate its students’ service and to provide volunteers an opportunity to see the larger picture of service of which they are a part.