Fresno State students will volunteer at two locations from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 for Make a Difference Day — a nationally recognized community service day.
Presented by Fresno State’s SERVE Committee, a student leadership team through the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning, the project provides volunteer opportunities to over 70 students.
The SERVE Committee is comprised of 10 student leaders who are dedicated to providing their peers with three different one-day community service opportunities throughout the year, said Bianca Mancilla, Richter Center special events and projects coordinator.
The committee helps plan, coordinate and implement service activities for Make a Difference Day, Serving Fresno Day and Spring into Service — national and local days of service that facilitate hundreds of needed service hours for community benefit organizations.
This weekend, in partnership with the Sierra Foothill Conservancy and Fresno PARCS, volunteers will participate in projects at Woodward Park in north Fresno and at the McKenzie Table Mountain Preserve in Auberry.
“Our goal is to offer high-quality, meaningful experiences to our peers in order to help them gain new skills and develop a deeper understanding of community issues,” said committee member Ashlie Day, a mass communications and journalism major from Fresno. “It is not just about cleaning up each site, it is about feeling connected to and interacting with our community.”
At Woodward Park (7775 N. Friant Rd.), about 30 students will break into three groups to help repair the surrounding fencing, re-paint signs and structures and build tree wells.
For the McKenzie Table Mountain Preserve (between Friant and Prather avenues on the north side of Auberry Road), another group of 42 students will help build and restore hiking trails used by the community and local schools.
The committee is also planning its next event, Serving Fresno Day, for November. Events are not open to the public but interested persons may contact each organization on how to support the efforts.
For more information, contact Bianca Mancilla at 559.278.7063.
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