UIS students partnered with Habitat for Humanity as part of the university’s Springfest, according to Mark Dochterman, director of UIS’s Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center.
Springfest is a weeklong team challenge that includes a scavenger hunt and trivia night, among other activities.
Last year, Dochterman said organizers incorporated a service element. More than 200 students planted 3,500 native saplings in open spaces at Carpenter and Gurgens parks north of Springfield.
The project went well, except for a number of students contracting poison ivy, he said.
“(Partnering with Habitat) just seemed like a great way we could make a difference with the students we have,” Dochterman said.
Among the students to chip in Monday was Paige Heiser, a junior at UIS. Heiser cleared overgrown and dead brush at 2028 South Grand Ave. E. with other volunteers.
She said she enjoys volunteering because it’s important to give back to the community.
“You can have an impact on something on a larger scale, which makes you feel good,” Heiser said.
The story was featured by The State Journal-Register on April 23, 2013.
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