Emory Report
October 27, 2008
Volume 61, Number 9


 

   

Emory Report homepage  

October 27
, 2008
Service day creates community

By Eric Rangus

Emory Cares. Do you? If the consistent growth of the University’s most prominent alumni-led service program is any indication, then the answer is a resounding “yes.”

Emory Cares International Service Day 2008, a core program of the Emory Alumni Association, will take place in November in more than 40 locations across the country and around the world. And it reaches more than just alumni, especially in Emory’s hometown.

“Emory Cares International Service Day has grown into one of the most effective and enjoyable ways to bring the Emory community together,” says Jennifer Hayward, the EAA’s assistant director for alumni programs and coordinator for Emory Cares. “In Atlanta, especially over the last two years, we’ve seen tremendous response and participation from students. More than 300 undergraduate and graduate students took part in Emory Cares in Atlanta and Oxford each of the last two years. Emory staff have been superb volunteers for our campus events, as well. In all, we attracted more than 1,000 volunteers worldwide in both 2006 and 2007. We’re hoping for similar numbers this year.”

Most service projects, including the vast majority in Atlanta and Oxford, will take place on Saturday, Nov. 8. Some cities will hold theirs Nov. 15; an Atlanta family event gets the jump on everyone with a service project in Dunwoody on Saturday, Nov. 1.

The best place to get up-to-date information about how to get involved is by visiting the Emory Cares campus registration page at www.alumni.emory.edu/emorycarescampus. The Web site lists each service project and gives instructions on how to register. Volunteers can register as individuals or as part of a group, and transportation to off-campus locations will be provided. Many projects are family-friendly, as well.

Now in its sixth year, growth has marked the Emory Cares program from the beginning. New cities for 2008 include Kansas City and Tucson, Ariz., and in Atlanta several of the EAA’s alumni interest groups are planning service projects of their own to augment the larger projects on campus. The EAA’s Atlanta Young Alumni chapter, the Caucus of Emory Black Alumni, and Emory Gay and Lesbian Alumni are all participating in projects this year.

Additionally, at Oxford, volunteers will gather at the student center to fill and decorate shoeboxes with personal and hygiene products for children entering foster homes. The boxes will then be delivered to the Division of Family and Children Services.

Campus partners include the Office of Multicultural Programs and Services, the Office of University-Community Partnerships, and a variety of student groups led by Volunteer Emory.

The main Emory Cares Web site, at www.alumni.emory.edu/emorycares, gives a complete overview of the program and includes links to more than two dozen slideshows highlighting projects from 2007.