USC Volunteer Center Friends and Neighbors Service Day
Before classes even start, USC students are already hard at work – in the community.
Each year, the USC Volunteer Center hosts Friends and Neighbors Service Day and this year is expected to be its biggest ever. On August 22, 600 student volunteers are heading out to more than 30 work sites where they’ll paint murals, work on community gardening projects, distribute school supplies and visit seniors at residence centers.
"This year we are going to have a short program at the beginning of the day with a couple of guest speakers," says Melissa Gaeke, director of the USC Volunteer Center. "We hope it sets the tone for the university’s commitment to the community."
Volunteers spend about four hours at a work site on service days. Many of the sites are within walking distance from campus.
The Volunteer Center also has a searchable database that lists numerous non-profit organizations in need of volunteers.
"I really see the Volunteer Center as a clearinghouse for students, faculty and staff that want to get involved with volunteering," Gaeke comments. "They can search the database by zip code, keyword or age group and find what they’re interested in. The majority of our volunteers are freshmen, but I’m hoping more staff and faculty get involved. It’s a really good way to interact with students in a different way."