Release date: Nov. 7, 2007

Emory Alumni Set for Service Around the World Nov. 10

Rollins School of Public Health students paint a house in Habitat for Humanity's 'Musician's Village' in New Orleans last year.

Contact: Eric Rangus: 404-727-3390, 404-788-3578, eric.rangus@emory.edu

Emory University will demonstrate the spirit of its community this Saturday, Nov. 10, as part of the fifth-annual Emory Cares International Service Day. Emory alumni in 40 cities around the world and across the nation will lead numerous volunteer efforts, from Habitat for Humanity builds in Durham, N.C., and Baltimore, to working with foster children in St. Louis, staffing food banks from coast to coast, and volunteering for 23 service projects in Atlanta.

Emory Cares is the signature service project of the Emory Alumni Association (EAA), which serves the Atlanta-based university's 100,000 alumni. Through Emory Cares, alumni chapters across the country and around the world coordinate and lead a wide range of service projects that benefit their home communities.

Emory Cares has grown in size every year since its founding in 2003 by Renelda Mack, a 1983 graduate of Emory and currently assistant state attorney for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, Palm Beach County, Fla. Mack founded the event as a way to encourage alumni participation in community service. In five short years, it has grown beyond alumni to encompass the entire Emory community, as students, parents, faculty, administrators and even President Jim Wagner have joined the cause. The "international" aspect of Emory Cares is led by alumni in England, Germany, Korea, Russia and Spain.

In 2006, Emory Cares had its most successful year ever, expanding to 29 cities and attracting nearly 1,000 volunteers (more than double 2005's figure), including Wagner and wife, Debbie, who led a contingent of Emory volunteers on a Habitat for Humanity build in New Orleans.

For 2007, Emory Cares has expanded to a record 40 cities. The largest Emory Cares event will be on Emory's home campus in Atlanta, where volunteers can choose from 23 different projects. Last year, those volunteers included some 300 Emory students. Current registration places 2007's participation even higher. More information on individual events.

"Now that we are in our fifth year, some of our more established cities and locations have systems in place," said Jennifer Hayward, assistant director for alumni programs with the Emory Alumni Association (EAA). "New cities sometimes need a little more help [from the EAA], but alumni volunteers are always really excited to get involved. It's fun to work with them."

In all, Emory Cares projects will be held in the following locations: Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Baltimore; Barcelona, Spain; Birmingham, Ala.; Boston; Charleston, S.C.; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Durham, N.C.; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Frankfurt, Germany; Houston; London; Los Angeles; Madrid, Spain; Memphis, Tenn.; Miami; Minneapolis, Minn.; Moscow; Nashville, Tenn.; New Orleans, La.; New York; Orlando, Fla.; Oxford, Ga.; Philadelphia; Phoenix; Portland, Ore.; Richmond, Va.; San Diego; San Francisco; Savannah, Ga.; Seattle; Seoul, South Korea; St. Louis; Tampa, Fla.; Washington; Westchester Co., N.Y.; and West Palm Beach, Fla.

Emory University (www.emory.edu) is one of the nation’s leading private research universities and a member of the Association of American Universities. Known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities, Emory is ranked as one of the country's top 20 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, the state's largest and most comprehensive health care system.

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