Two new partnerships within the Pearce Center have already made an impact after a short amount of time
The Pearce Center continues its mission to give Clemson students opportunities to work with real-world clients. The Pearce Center has partnered with a wide range of organizations, offering interns the chance to make meaningful contributions to communities both on and off campus.
During the Spring 2025 semester, the Pearce Center started partnerships with two new clients: The Osher LifeLong Learning Institute at Clemson and Legacy Home. These two organizations have already made a significant impact on the Pearce Center.
Each organization brings its unique purpose to the Pearce Center, helping communities outside the University.
OLLI is a Clemson-based institute dedicated to enhancing the lives of adults aged 50 and older through learning. By offering diverse academic courses and engaging activities, OLLI fosters a vibrant community of learners who seek knowledge, personal growth and connection. Through this partnership, Pearce interns are helping support OLLI’s mission by enhancing outreach and communication efforts – ensuring that lifelong learners continue to thrive.
Legacy Home, based in Pickens County, serves individuals who are recovering from addiction and substance abuse. Legacy Home provides recovery programs, housing and meals to people struggling with addiction. Through these services, Legacy Home’s overall goal is to support individuals determined to maintain sobriety. For Pearce interns, contributing to Legacy Home’s mission is a professional opportunity and a chance to support a cause that transforms lives. 
When asked to reflect on her experience with the Pearce interns, Mary Brock, the director of OLLI, had only positive remarks. Brock found out about the Pearce Center from multiple sources, and felt its reputation was an exciting reason to begin this partnership. Brock recognized the Pearce Center would be significant in various ways towards their work, including marketing and outreach, and knew it would be beneficial to work with the Peace interns.
One of the interns’ major contributions so far has been a complete overhaul of the OLLI website. Brock acknowledged the site had been managed by many hands over the years and was in need of consistency and improved usability.
“The first project they have worked on is updating our website. This is a big project as we have never had anyone dedicated to managing the website, so it has had many different people working on it over the years. The version they have created is much more user friendly. We are excited to launch it once the final tweaks are made.”
With the interns’ professionalism and work ethic, Brock and the OLLI team’s experience with the Pearce interns is one of positivity and accomplishments.
“We appreciate everything they have done, and how the interns have patiently explained the updates they have made on the website. They heard our needs in the first meeting and have been professional with all follow up questions and requests.”
Through partnerships like these, the Pearce Center continues to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world impact, equipping Clemson students with the tools to lead, serve and succeed in their careers and communities.
By: Sammy Sirover, editor-in-chief