I’m in Spokane as we roll up on the second weekend of Independent Colleges of Washington Service Month, and there’s lots of interesting volunteer news here in the Lilac City.
Gonzaga University has just received a $5,000 grant that will help volunteers and mentors teach kids about nutrition and provide healthy snacks through the university’s Campus Kitchen project. GU’s Center for Community Action and Service-Learning will be sending out volunteers to help with a trail maintenance project through the Washington Trails Association.
Across town at Whitworth University they’re celebrating the 10th anniversary of the school’s Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement. Hundreds of students participated in Community Building Day in late September, and other service projects are coming up later this month.
There are some other great projects planned for the weekend. University of Puget Sound students will participate in the Pierce County Hunger Walk. At PLU they’ll go “Into the Streets” to learn about service agencies in the area. Whitman College students will assist with the Harvest Festival at the Walla Walla Children’s Museum. At Seattle Pacific University the women’s volleyball team will host a “dig pink” fundraiser for breast cancer awareness, after last month’s successful CityQuest (photo above).
Every year students at ICW member colleges give more than a half-million hours of volunteer service time to important causes in their communities.
