Students invite others to join the excitement
Wanda English Burnett - Editor

The town of Milan was put on the map back in 1954 when the Milan Indians were named State Champions in basketball. The story of the game that Bobby Plump sealed with his final basket still draws people to the lore of the town today.

As far away as the University of Minnesota, students in an organization called Students Today Leaders Forever (STLF) decided they would choose Milan as their town of choice for this year's project, "Small Town, Big Dreams." The group will be arriving this Saturday, March 11, to help with service projects around the town and to visit the Milan Museum to learn more about the history of the rural town in southeastern Indiana.

The students' itinerary includes staying at the Milan Middle School gymnasium where they were graciously granted a request for lodging from the Milan School Board. They will have dinner at the Milan Church of Christ, who they initially contacted to help them get various projects lined up. Debbie Walker appeared at the February Milan School Board meeting to request lodging for the group. She noted that while it wasn't a project of their church they were helping to facilitate the group in their efforts to help others.

Some of the service work the group will be performing include helping to prepare care boxes for and write letters to troops overseas with Operation: Support Our Troops at the home of Linda Baker at Pierceville. They will also participate in a variety of service projects at the Milan Town Park and throughout the town, painting, etc. The group will go to the Milan Museum to work on scrapbooks.

Students from STLF are inviting community organizations to come on board with them and help give the Town of Milan a boost. Anyone interested in catching up with the students on Saturday, are welcome. More information is available by calling the Milan Church of Christ at 812-654-2177; Todd Russell at 812-654-3974; Debbie Walker at 812-654-3134 or Julie Robinson at 812-654-2701.

STLF is a non-profit organization that originated on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus about three years ago. It has now expanded to several other campuses in Minnesota and North Dakota. Each year in the spring, STLF holds a Pay It Forward Tour, which is a spring break service trip. In a letter to those helping bring them to Milan, the group noted the tour is initiated as a ripple effect in being kind to others.

In nine days over 300 students will board buses and travel to various cities and towns on their way to Washington D.C. to spread some cheer. When they arrive at Washington D.C. they will attend a two-day leadership conference and complete another service project.