@tysonpeterson
On National Service Day on Oct. 27, students are doing their part by volunteering at Make a Difference Day, hosted by the Student Service Council. Volunteers will meet at 400 West 400 North in Orem, next to the IHC hospital at 8:00 a.m. After signing a waiver, free breakfast will be served for volunteers. The first 70 people to show up will receive a t-shirt.
On the docket this year are seventeen different projects at Orem and Provo parks, Orem and Provo Cemeteries, Habitat for Humanity, Kids on the Move, Orem Library, Baby Care Cupboard, Orem Fire hydrants, Primary Children’s Hospital, Utah Food Bank, Adopt a Highway, Provo River and Orchard Care Center.
In the past, there have been 200 volunteers and, after speaking with Elizabeth Jarema, an organizer heading up the event, they are looking for 500 volunteers. With the amount of students at UVU, Jarema believes this is very doable.
“The more students engage, the more they learn about themselves,” Jarema said. “This is our part that coincides with National Service Day. We want to show other universities as well as our community that we care and that we are a service-oriented university.”
Jarema has been part of Make a Difference Day with UVU for the last two years. For this project, she, along with her committee, have been working since June.
“I know what this has done for me—I love this,” Jarema said. “You find out who you are by serving. This is what engaged learning is all about.”
Each project will have a project leader who is responsible for his or her team and getting their project done. The largest project on the list this year is the Provo Park cleanup. Jeff McCleve, President of the UVU Health Club, is the team leader for this project and said he needs 100 volunteers.
The Orem Library project, headed up by Dontrell Morrow, is specifically looking for 5 painters.
For more information, visit the Volunteer and Service Learning Center webpage for more information or stop by their office to sign up for projects.
UVU mentors will also be handing out signup sheets in their classes.
