One day, 85 sites
More than 2,100 students, faculty and staff volunteered at 85 sites across the city on Saturday, May 16, for Big Serve Day, the university's largest single day of community service. It was the 12th year of the event and the largest turnout since it began.
Volunteers planted 1,400 tree seedlings along the river trail with the city parks department, painted classrooms and hallways at two elementary schools, sorted 30 tons of food at the regional food bank and cleaned up 11 neighborhood parks.
Other projects included building raised garden beds at a senior center, repairing bikes for a youth program and cleaning up a stretch of Miller Creek. Many sites were chosen by neighborhood groups, which submitted requests in the winter.
Volunteers started at 8 a.m. and finished by early afternoon.
I came as a first-year because my roommate made me. Four years later I'm leading a site. You come back because you see what one day does.
Organizing the day
Planning began in January with 120 community partners. Student site leaders completed training in April, and Transportation and Parking Services ran 44 shuttle trips to move volunteers around the city. Dining Services packed 2,300 lunches.
For the first time, faculty and staff could count their volunteer hours toward the university's paid community service leave. About 380 employees took part. Photos and a map of all 85 sites are available on the Big Serve Day page.
The Office of Community Engagement estimates the day provided more than 8,000 hours of volunteer work.
