Campus News
November 1, 2010
Join Emory Cares for day of service
Kendra Price, an executive assistant in Marketing and Communications, assists an elderly homeowner with yardwork.
With Halloween behind us and Thanksgiving ahead, there’s one more major event to be thankful for in between—Emory Cares International Service Day. Saturday, Nov. 13 marks the Emory Alumni Association’s (EAA) annual day of service for members of the Emory community worldwide.
Since former Emory Alumni Board president Renelda Mack ’83C founded the event in 2003, Emory Cares has grown each year, with more people getting involved in more service projects worldwide. Last year drew a record 1,400 volunteers—1,000 in Atlanta alone, and many of those Emory staff and students—and offered the most projects abroad in the event’s history.
“Emory is a service-oriented university. Nothing says that more clearly than thousands of people bettering their communities, not only in Atlanta but across the country and around the world,” says Kate Gregory ’09C, regional volunteer programs coordinator for the EAA.
For Emory Cares 2010, there are nearly 70 projects in 25 cities, including five cities abroad. More than 40 of those projects will take place in Atlanta, and the entire Emory community—faculty, staff, students, parents and alumni—is invited to take part.
Atlanta Young Alumni and alumni from the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Caucus of Emory Black Alumni, and Emory Gay and Lesbian Alumni will also host specific events.
The full rundown of Atlanta projects is on the EAA’s Emory Cares registration page. To get involved, sign up for the project of your choice. Morning projects begin at 9 a.m., and registration is onsite. For afternoon projects, volunteers are asked to gather at McDonough Field. Shuttles will then take them to the project sites.
In Atlanta, Emory community members can choose to:
• Provide food for those who are terminally ill with Project Open Hand;
• Mulch and tend to trails with Big Trees Forest Preserve;
• Sort and package medical supplies with MedShare International;
• Participate in many other service projects.
Nearly all Atlanta projects are open to all members of the Emory community. Walk-ins are welcome, but volunteers who do not pre-register may not have the opportunity to choose a project and may be assigned to one.
“It’s amazing how quickly Atlanta projects fill up. One project had 60 volunteers,” Gregory said, adding that several departments, such as the Office of Communications and Marketing, have signed up to work a project together.
This year, the EAA has added a new program called Emory Cares Everywhere. In previous years, Emory Cares focused on alumni taking part in service projects in groups—most often in large cities. Now, through Emory Cares Everywhere, alumni can participate in Emory Cares Day no matter where they live. Alumni can volunteer at the organization of their choice and earn an official Emory Cares 2010 T-shirt from the EAA. As a matter of fact, all Emory Cares volunteers receive T-shirts at sign-in.
Emory Cares International Service Day is co-sponsored by the EAA, Alpha Phi Omega, Emeritus College, the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life, the Office of University-Community Partnerships, the Residence Hall Association, Volunteer Emory and the WorkLife Resource Center.
