UA National Society of Collegiate Scholars chapter officers (L-R) Lauren Miller of Tuscaloosa, Celia Williamson of Richmond, Va., Grace Shelby of Huntsville and Lindsey Smith of Laceys Spring, along with Stacy Jones, UA NSCS adviser, received the Community Service Project of the Year Award at the organization’s National Leadership Summit awards banquet.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The University of Alabama Chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) was awarded the Community Service Project of the Year award at the annual NSCS Leadership Summit.

Earlier this year, NSCS honored and thanked some the most involved and committed students who donated their time and talent to make a difference in their communities. The University of Alabama was honored for their work with AARP’s Tax-Aide program, including transforming a room in the Ferguson Center into a tax-aide center.

Tax-Aide is the nation's largest, free, volunteer-run tax counseling and preparation service. The program serves millions of low- and middle-income taxpayers, with special attention to those ages 60 and older.

The students are proud of the difference they made in the lives of more than 100 grateful taxpayers. “Seeing the relief on our clients’ faces was a great reward for our students,” said Stacy L. Jones, UA assistant dean of students and NSCS adviser. “The students learned valuable lessons about how overwhelming taxes can be, especially for the elderly, many of whom are not able to afford professional help.”

Washington, D.C.-based NSCS is the nation’s only honors organization exclusively for college freshmen and sophomores. The organization includes 375,000 members in 205 college chapters across the country, recognizes outstanding academic achievement, and offers a wide variety of opportunities for involvement on the campus and national level. Membership is by invitation only and is based on grade point average.

For more information about the NSCS, contact Emilie Wittenberg at 202/454-0991 or wittenberg@nscs.org. For information about the UA NSCS chapter, contact Jones at 205/348-7779 or sjones@sa.ua.edu.