First Light is an emergency shelter accepting homeless women and homeless women with children 24 hours a day.  Samford's Department of Family Studies has maintained a collaboration with the First Light Shelter for seven years, through our Family Life Education service-learning course.  That relationship deepened this past academic year when the student members of the National Council on Family Relations and their sponsor, Dr. Jonathan Davis, worked with Samford's executive chef, Chris Vizzina, to serve breakfast on several occasions to those taking refuge at First Light.  "Chris has been wonderful, preparing the entire meal beforehand (though the students were willing to help) and organizing transportation to the shelter, where our students mingle with the homeless women and take turns on the serving line," said Dr. Davis. 

 

The world is better because of Samford's service to God, to family, to one another, and to the community.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.