Make a difference: Students to provide 2,000 hours of service
About 400 students from the College of William and
Mary will contribute more than 2,000 hours of service to the
Williamsburg community Oct. 20 as a part of the 9th annual
Make-A-Difference Day.
The College’s Office of Student Volunteer Services has coordinated with
local non-profit agencies to have students participate in nearly 30
projects across the area. Students will spend time with children, talk
with residents at retirement centers, paint rooms and complete
beautification projects throughout Williamsburg.
One of the agencies that students will work with is Dream Catchers,
which provides professional equine-assisted therapy to special needs
individuals in a caring and safe environment. Student volunteers will
be joined by members of the William and Mary Williamsburg Alumni
Chapter, working side by side to help with landscaping, cleaning the
pastures and barn, and setting up for a yard sale fundraiser. Other
students will spend the day at Williamsburg Landing, helping put gifts
together with the facility’s residents to send to children in Africa as
a part of Operation Christmas Child.
Other agencies William and Mary students will be working with during
Make-A-Difference Day include the Jamestown 4-H Educational Center, the
YMCA, Consulate Healthcare, Social Services, York River State Park,
the Heritage Human Society and the Salvation Army.
Student volunteers will work directly will representatives of the
non-profit agencies who will provide the students tours of the sites
and information about the mission and purpose of the agencies. Through
direct interaction, agency representatives will share their passion for
the work they do with the student volunteers, said Drew Stelljes,
director of the Office of Student Volunteer Services.
“They are educating our students about the social issues that are a
part of our community and our world,” he said. “For our part, students
take part in meaningful work that truly makes a difference in the lives
of our neighbors. They are helping to build a stronger community.”
Students at the College of William and Mary are consistently involved
in community service projects. According to a 2006 survey, students at
the College annually contribute more than 323,000 hours of community
service. In addition, 75 percent of undergraduates reported that they
had participated in volunteer work while at William and Mary. Earlier
this year, about 200 William and Mary students, mostly freshmen,
volunteered with community agencies across the area prior to the start
of school as part of the first annual Students Helping Out Williamsburg
(SHOW) Day
“The overwhelming commitment from our students is a powerful statement
of our College's commitment to our community,” said Stelljes.
For more information, contact Stelljes at 757.221.3263.
