Some University of Illinois Springfield students are starting the school year by donating their time to community projects, and the head of the school’s volunteer center hopes a habit develops from it.
About 40 students, including some faculty and staff members, were taken to one of three sites Friday as part of UIS’ Welcome Week Service-A-Thon, the third year the event has been held.
“That’s about the number we try to get because of the transportation we have available,” said Kelly Thompson, director of the UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center. “If we had more vans, we could take more.”
The three projects selected this year included Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach, Ball Charter School and Southwind Park.
“We have about 50 regular community partners, and we’re always reaching out to others,” Thompson said. “We work hard to spread the word we’re here to help.”
The Service-A-Thon was featured in a August 28, 2010, edition of The State Journal-Register.
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