When Sook Kyung Yoon started Bulldawg Outreach to Nursing Homes and the Elderly her sophomore year, she planned on it being a small gathering of students visiting nursing homes on a regular basis.

“I started the club because I wanted to see the elderly take an active role in the community, and because it’s good to see them happy,” said Yoon, a senior from Lawrenceville and president of B.O.N.E.

In its short time at the University, however, B.O.N.E has grown to a club of about 40 dedicated students, and Yoon is hoping membership will continue to increase this year.

“Our first year, we had about 20 people that attended meetings and events on a regular basis,” she said. “Last year, that number doubled to 40, and my goal is for the club to double in size again this year.”

B.O.N.E has several events planned for the upcoming year. It began the fall semester with a freshman care package project.

The group partnered with Out Campus Merchandise to put together welcome and final exam care packages for freshmen, with a portion of the proceeds going toward B.O.N.E’s travel costs and nursing home activities. Yoon said the packages are important in helping get the word out to freshmen about B.O.N.E.

“This year, we want to get involved with the Golden Olympics in Warner, Ga., which is an athletic event for the elderly,” Yoon said.

Yoon is hoping for a group of about 25 to 30 students to travel to the event.

The organization is planning a dance night for early in the semester. The event will provide ballroom dance lessons to students for a cover charge, with an opportunity for free dancing after the lessons are over.

“This is our first big fund-raiser, and all proceeds will go to the events we are planning on participating in this year, such as the Golden Olympics,” Yoon said. “If we have any leftover money, it will go toward Alzheimer’s research.”

This year, B.O.N.E will be visiting Athens Health Rehabilitation nursing home, where members will participate in activities such as dancing, scrapbooking and board games with residents.

Kimberly Clay, faculty adviser for B.O.N.E, said the students make an important difference in the Athens community.

“Nursing home residents are often the ones who are forgotten, and it’s hard for students, with their busy schedules, to take time to visit – which is what makes the members’ ability to give back to the community so important,” Clay said.

In the future, Yoon hopes to participate in more events, such as the Alzheimer’s walk in Atlanta. She also plans to donate more money to research for Alzheimer’s and other aging-related diseases. She said she hopes the club will continue to grow in numbers.

“B.O.N.E is just a group of good-hearted people coming together to help the elderly, and we’ve built strong friendships within the group,” she said.

B.O.N.E’s first meeting will be Aug. 27 in room 512 of the Journalism building. For more information, contact Bone.uga@gmail.com.