Attempting to attract freshmen to Northwestern’s community service organizations, Campus Activities Office will host Community Action Day on Saturday.
As the first major volunteer activity of the new school year, event organizers said they hope it will attract freshmen to volunteerism and prompt them to participate throughout the year.
“Our intention is to get students excited about community service,” said Michele Capio, coordinator of student community service and Campus Activities.
About 170 NU students participated last year, and Capio said there are registration spots for more than 200 students.
Students will go to 15 sites to assist both Evanston and Chicago residents. Each site has one or two student leaders, many of whom are upperclassmen. Other site leaders are freshmen who participated in the Freshman Urban Program before New Student Week.
“(The program) really got me interested in participating,” said Tyler Jaeckel, a Weinberg freshman. He will lead the site at Asian Youth Services, an organization on the North Side of Chicago that assists Asian children of refugees.
First-time participant Meg Gilbride will be a site leader at the Swedish Retirement Association in Evanston. She plans to play bingo and visit with the residents.
“Last year when I was a freshman, I didn’t feel as connected to community service in Evanston as I should have been,” said Gilbride, a Weinberg sophomore. “I wanted to get a head start and be more connected to the Evanston community.”
Students are to meet at 9:45 a.m. Saturday on the east lawn of Norris. From there, buses will take them to their sites.
The sites range from Family Focus Evanston, an organization serving the black population of west Evanston, to Better Existence with HIV, which serves Evanston and the North Shore community.
Other sites include the Chicago Christian Industrial League, an organization that serves homeless men, women and families, and the North Shore Retirement Hotel in Evanston.
To participate in Community Action Day, students must register beforehand at today’s Student Activities Fair from 4 to 7 p.m. or by calling Campus Activities at 847-332-2350.
