Park Place Outreach, Inc., a vital Savannah nonprofit that provides emergency shelter and services to runaway, homeless and in-crisis youth, will receive some much needed assistance from the Information Technology program at South University Thursday.

Faculty and student volunteers from South University will be at Park Place Outreach, Inc., on Thursday to update the organization’s information systems. The project is slated to begin at 1 p.m.

“The help we’re receiving from the students and faculty of South University is critical for keeping an organization like ours up to speed," said Linda Hilts, executive director of Park Place. “Our IT needs are very specialized and the level of expertise provided by this donation of IT assistance is critical." Hilts went on to say that the volunteers will be installing new software that Park Place Outreach is providing. “We need this kind of community support to keep our vital IT systems up to speed,” she said. “We have no room in our budget for a staff IT professional.” Two computers being serviced will be for use by residents, according to Hilts. “We are also getting assistance with our social media efforts,” Hilts said.

Todd Cellini, president of South University–Savannah, was recently elected to the Park Place Outreach, Inc., board of directors. According to a spokesperson from South University, Cellini is familiar with the needs of Park Place because of his service on its board of directors. He believes strongly in the mission and saw the opportunity for the school to fill a need. He also knew this would be great learning experience for some of his students. Whether this act of support toward Park Place Outreach on the part of South University is a one-time deal or an ongoing arrangement hasn’t been decided yet, but with Cellini on the board, it’s not likely to start and end here. “We’re happy that a few of our faculty, staff and students could volunteer for this effort,” said Cellini. “IT installation can be expensive, and we’re proud that South University could offer a service that would offset that cost for Park Place Outreach. This effort is a great way for us to give back, but it also provides our IT students with additional hands-on experience that enhances their education.”

The team from South University involved in this process consists of a South University Information Technology faculty member, an IT staffer and two IT students. They will install and set up computers that Park Place Outreach already owns. This is a donation of time and expert services, as well as serving as a real-life a learning piece for the students. If all goes smoothly, the project is expected to require from 1½ to 2 hours to complete.