Hundreds of OBU Students Volunteer for Serve Shawnee

August 18, 2025

About 520 OBU students, including freshmen, transfers and upperclassmen, spent the morning of Aug. 18, 2025, serving the Shawnee community during the University’s annual Serve Shawnee event. Held the Monday before the fall semester begins, Serve Shawnee is a long-standing tradition on Bison Hill that emphasizes Christ-like service and community engagement.

Groups volunteered at more than 25 locations across Shawnee and the surrounding area, including Cargo Ranch, Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross and Frontline Church.

Launched over 20 years ago, Serve Shawnee helps students live out OBU’s mission to engage the world with servant leadership. Upperclassmen lead the student teams as they complete a variety of projects, such as landscaping, painting, cleaning, organizing and distributing supplies.

“Last year as a freshman, I served at a nursing home,” said Luke Brookshire, a Tulsa sophomore in creative media who was pulling weeds at Sister City Park (Japanese Peace Garden) on Monday. “I was impacted by seeing just how much my team and I being there filled them with joy. It was a little thing, but it seemed to make their day a little bit better, so that was really nice to share the love of Christ with them. I think this shows the people around us that we have hearts to serve and as Christians that shows the love of Christ and it shows good leadership. I think that’s really important to instill in our freshmen as they start at OBU.”

Incoming freshman Hope Shank of Norman, who is studying biology, was sweeping floors inside The Guilded Grayland.

“I think it’s cool to see the community and to get to serve firsthand; it shows we’re connected,” she said. “We do the fun things, but also getting to serve is a nice way to get to know people before you start classes.”

Incoming freshman Corey Appleby of Midwest City, who is studying sports psychology, was helping visitors at the Community Market of Pottawatomie County as they went through the store and then with loading the items into their cars.

“Seeing all these happy faces is great and I love to serve,” he said. “The people are so nice and friendly and to be able to help them when they need it is amazing.”

Claire Gake of Kansas City, Kansas, a junior studying sports management, was helping out at Cargo Ranch.

“As a freshman, I was very impressed by how OBU handles outreach,” she said. “They really care about the community that they are in. We’re not just a college that takes up space in Shawnee, but we give back to Shawnee. Being a Tri-W as a sophomore and now being a Tri-W again, it’s just really cool seeing the freshmen get involved, too. You can see it on their faces. Starting the year this way really puts our hearts and our minds in the right place. This really shifts the perspective. Because just like they said in our presentation, ‘College can be very focused on yourself. What am I studying? Who are my friends? Who am I going to marry?’ But this really shifts the perspective to, ‘I’m in Shawnee and who can I serve and be partners with, in our walk with Christ?’”

This year’s co-chairs for Serve Shawnee are Gabe Atyia, a senior from Seminole majoring in theology with an emphasis in history and theology and a minor in computer science, and Anna Rader, a pre-allied health emphasis major from Sulphur, La., who is in her senior year.

“I believe that Serve Shawnee is one of the most important days of OBU's calendar,” Atyia said. “Not only do we get to provide for our community and make a positive impact, but it also establishes for our new bison what we take pride in as an institution.”

Rader said, “As a freshman at OBU, I loved Serve Shawnee. For me, it felt like a great way to get involved in this new community I was joining. It helped me understand Shawnee better and also just get that sweet opportunity to serve the people around me, who I would be spending the next four years with."

Serve Shawnee is part of Welcome Week, an annual tradition at OBU where new students participate in small group activities, take part in traditions like “Ka-Rip,” and experience “The Walk” to officially join the OBU family before the fall semester begins.

Fall classes at Oklahoma Baptist University begin on Aug. 20, 2025.