TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama chapter of the Golden Key International Honour Society was recently awarded a “Make a Difference Day” grant of $500 to go toward school supplies for the West Alabama Head Start program. The money was given by the society’s international chapter.

On “Make a Difference Day” Golden Key members took school supplies and books to the preschool and spent time reading and playing games with the children.

“It was nice to see the children’s faces light up when we arrived with the much-needed supplies,” said Lynn Hamric, UA Golden Key International Honour Society advisor and administrative secretary of mechanical engineering, “and the teachers were happy when we were able to give them a little free time to prepare for other class activities.”

Golden Key, a nonprofit academic honors organization, requires each chapter to participate in volunteer service projects in order to be recognized at regional and international conferences. UA’s chapter plans to host other volunteer activities for Head Start including an Easter egg hunt in April.

Golden Key International Honour Society, founded in 1977, recognizes college students solely on the basis of their academic achievements. Golden Key awards its members nearly $500,000 annually through 17 different scholarship and award programs, and it provides campus and community service opportunities enabling personal growth and leadership development.

In 1837, UA became the first university in the state to offer engineering classes and was one of the first five in the nation to do so. Today, the College of Engineering, with about 1,900 students and more than 90 faculty, is one of the three oldest continuously operating engineering programs in the country and has been fully accredited since accreditation standards were implemented in the 1930s.