SC State students kick off Homecoming Week with community service project

Verizon BOLD partnership supports young people experiencing homelessness through Covenant House Georgia

ORANGEBURG, S.C. — South Carolina State University students kicked off Homecoming Week on Monday, Oct. 19, by packaging hygiene products for young people experiencing homelessness through a community service partnership with Verizon and Covenant House Georgia.

Students representing various academic majors and organizations packed bags containing toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo and other hygiene essentials, demonstrating their commitment to community service.

“A lot of people have a problem with hygiene because of high prices and accessibility issues. So this morning, I would rather come here … and help package things because I like helping people get hygiene products that they probably couldn’t get on their own,” said Davianna Celestain, 22, a senior cybersecurity major from Augusta, Georgia.

Brittney Evans, a junior industrial engineering major from Columbia, South Carolina, said providing essential items to people in need was a rewarding experience.

“I feel like it’s important because a lot of people are out on their own for the first time, so they don’t know how or where to get them. So it’s about making it accessible. Being able to help out feels really important and is really helpful to the community,” she said.

Jayden Briggs, 22, a senior industrial engineering major from Florence, South Carolina, said the project reflected the sense of family and shared responsibility within the SC State community.

“I felt like it was important to come out and set up the bags because we are all community. South Carolina State is good on the community, so it’s important that we give back to the community. It’s important that we help one another, be there for one another and look out for one another,” Briggs said.

“That’s why I wanted to come out here so I can be there for other people as I would want people to be there for me,” he said.

Verizon BOLD partnership supports vulnerable youth

The service project brought students together with Verizon BOLD co-leaders Tonisha Caulder and Bryant Singleton at the Kirkland W. Green Student Center.

Caulder emphasized that even basic hygiene products can have a meaningful impact on young people experiencing housing insecurity.

“These are items that an individual facing housing insecurity would need. They are essentials that we probably take for granted, but they can be a lifeline for others,” she said.

The project was organized through Verizon's BOLD (Black Originators, Leaders and Doers), an employee resource group committed to fostering a culture of inclusion. Its mission is to build partnerships that break barriers, foster a sense of community and create a safe environment to help develop and retain a culturally diverse workforce.

The service project was part of Verizon's BOLD Homecoming 2026 initiative, which partners with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) on community engagement activities.

“This is part of Verizon’s Homecoming. Homecoming is something that we celebrate every year. It’s celebrated by our BOLD employee resource group. This year, as part of volunteerism, we are partnering with Covenant House,” Caulder said.

Covenant House provides immediate and long-term support for young people experiencing homelessness and survivors of human trafficking. The primarily privately funded organization operates more than 30 locations across North and Central America, including Covenant House Georgia, and has served more than 1.5 million young people since 1972.

“Their mission is to support unhoused youth between the ages of 16 and 24, but we’re also obviously partnering with HBCUs. So each year, we kind of have a flagship HBCU event. This year, it just happens to be South Carolina State,” Caulder said.

South Carolina ties bring BOLD project to SC State

Caulder said she and Singleton, both South Carolina natives, saw the event as an opportunity to bring Verizon's BOLD Homecoming community service project closer to home.

“Bryant is from Sumter, and I’m from Hollywood, which is basically just a rural area of Charleston. We reach out to multiple HBCUs every year. Last year, we partnered with Norfolk State University, the year before that, FAMU, and this year, we had the opportunity to bring it home,” she said.

Caulder said she was impressed by SC State's willingness to participate and the professionalism students demonstrated in supporting the effort.

“It was like a natural partnership. Bryant and I both have strong ties to this community. My niece goes to Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School. So it’s like, ‘This is a good fit,’” Caulder said.

“I really appreciate how the students came out. They were here ready to work and had a plan to execute. This just makes me so proud,” she said.