ROTC Community Outreach

Submitted by frankrs on
Recruitment Efforts
Recruitment Efforts

Cadet Spriggs, MSIV (senior) in the Tiger Battalion, served as the cadet recruiter. "I was responsible for improving our marketability and outreach to the next generation of leaders," said Spriggs. "We visited several surrounding high schools where we spoke to the JROTC students, as well as local Missouri National Guard armories where we spoke to young soldiers interested in enrolling in college. We are always striving to grow our program, to continue being the best ROTC program in the state of Missouri!"

Retrieving Freedom
Retrieving Freedom

For the past several years, Tiger Battalion has partnered with Retrieving Freedom Inc. to train service dogs for children with special needs and disabled veterans. Payeton Loughead, cadet OIC of this program stated, "When I joined the club during my sophomore year at Mizzou, there were fewer than 10 cadets involved, and every year, we struggled to keep numbers up. Taking care of a dog full time is a big commitment. This year, my main goal was to increase our numbers. Podolski and I have been fortunate to more than triple our cadet attendance and we started a non-cadet club for general volunteers because we peaked so much campuswide interest. Cadets spend their first year in the service dog program as "secondaries," where they learn handling basics and positive reinforcement techniques. They start by practicing with the dogs on campus and eventually take dogs everywhere they go. From classes, to the store, to sports games, practicing their skills constantly."

Shelter Cleanup
Shelter Cleanup

This past fall, the Tiger Battalion volunteered at a shelter that assists victims of domestic violence in the mid-Missouri area. The shelter works has a small staff so upkeep and landscaping are very difficult among their other responsibilities. Tiger BN cadets volunteered by raking leaves, cleaning flower beds, and helping with general exterior maintenance to allow this shelter to keep doing great things in our Missouri community.