Around the world, Maryville College alumni give back to their communities as part of monthlong KT Global effort
March 29, 2023
He graduated more than a century ago, but Maryville College alumnus Kin Takahashi — class of 1895 — left behind a legacy that continues to inspire Scots of all ages.
For more than 25 years now, alumni have returned to the MC campus to re-invest “sweat equity” in their alma mater, taking on service projects such as painting, power washing and light construction during a summer event known as KT Days. Two years ago, members of the Maryville College Alumni Association (MCAA) board, having heard from alums who want to give back but are unable to return to East Tennessee, organized a worldwide give-back program called KT Global in partnership with MC’s Office of Alumni Affairs.
For the past two years, it’s taken place on a single April weekend, but for 2023, according to Alumni Affairs Director Jennifer Phillips Triplett ’07, KT Global projects will be ongoing throughout the month of April.
“KT Global began as a way to connect all alumni, no matter where they live, with each other in the spirit of service and honoring the legacy of Kin Takahashi,” Triplett said. “Now in its third year, alumni are actively volunteering in their own communities throughout the month of April, knowing that fellow Scots across the globe are doing the exact same thing.”
A Japanese immigrant who made his way from San Francisco to East Tennessee, Takahashi’s impact on the College is the stuff of legends. Not only was he responsible for helping organize one of East Tennessee’s first college football teams, his efforts to establish a campus home for the YMCA led to an initiative in which he and other students solicited donations and fired 300,000 bricks to build Bartlett Hall, which still stands today.
“So many alumni are in jobs of service, thanks to the influence and their time at Maryville College,” said Melissa Kiewiet ’14, KT Global taskforce co-chair and member of the MCAA board. “KT Global is another layer of service that allows alumni from all over the world to give back to the MC community and their home communities, thus furthering the legacy of Kin Takahashi.”
Already, a number of alumni leaders have planned local KT Global projects open to participants who can sign up via the KT Global page on the MC website. Some — such as assisting MC Archivist Amy Lundell ’06 remotely in making the College’s historical collections more accessible, or helping Kristi Kennedy Knight ’93 collect personal hygiene and household cleaning items for clients of Senior Citizens Home Assistance Service in Blount County — allow for volunteers to serve remotely and on their own time.
Others are boots-on-the-ground activities on specific days and times, including litter and trash clean up along the Cades Cove Loop and Abrams Falls Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, led by William “Dub” Osborne ’70 and Rick Zielger ’70, scheduled for 8:30 a.m. April 15; sorting and hanging clothing, stocking the food pantry, working in the garden and more at the Knox Pride Center in Knoxville, slated for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 29 and led by Nathan Higdon ’03; and if volunteers feel like a 6,000-mile road trip, joining Hayata Akashi ’86 on April 23 to gather trash and litter in Oshitate Nakabori Park.
For Akashi, giving back in the spirit of Kin Takahashi to the nation that’s home to both of them makes the connection to his alma mater even more special.
“At the small but historic MC campus, I was blessed with close friends and talented teachers, and I was able to dramatically improve my English and music skills,” Akashi said. “And I am still able to continue working with those skills that I acquired at MC. During the pandemic, I remembered those things, learned of the existence of a Japanese person named Kin Takahashi, and decided to accept KT Global.
“With my family involved, we were able to enjoy ourselves and contribute to the local community in a limited amount of time. I think KT Global is a very unique idea that allows you to express your gratitude to Maryville College and contribute to the community at the same time.”
Sign-ups for numerous other KT Global events, both in East Tennessee and around the country, are open on the MC website. Alumni are encouraged to sign up with other alums, or to find their own service project to complete with friends and/or family during April. Organizers hope to maintain the momentum that saw KT Global increase in participation from 2021, when 239 volunteers for 38 projects in 26 cities and Japan signed up; to 2022, when 316 participants tackled 34 projects in 23 cities and three countries.
“I am so proud of all the great work fellow alumni have accomplished in their communities through KT Global. It is incredible to feel connected to so many alums in this special way,” said Stephani Richardson McCarty ’10, KT Global taskforce co-chair and leader of the Knox Scots MC Alumni chapter. “For 2023, our goal is to enlist 400 volunteers in 40 projects in 4 countries, growing the geographical reach of that spirit of service that is so important to Maryville College alumni.”
Learn more about the projects planned around the globe at maryvillecollege.edu/ktglobal.