Students volunteer time to clean up areas on and around campus
Students, faculty and staff braved rain showers on Saturday, April 9, to participate in the Great UIndy Clean Up, an annual volunteer-based event geared toward beautifying the University of Indianapolis campus and the surrounding area.
The event, which began in 2007, is in its fifth year and attracted more than 125 pre-registered volunteers. Those who were involved pitched-in at four different sites, one on-campus and three nearby.
Students volunteered from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the day of the event in many different ways, some of which included: creating an outdoor play area, picking up trash, pulling weeds and generally beautifying the area.
The event was co-hosted by Campus Program Board and the Community Programs Center.
“Initially the event was held in coordination with the National Clean Up efforts. However, it always seemed to fall during finals week for our students,” said Stephanie Sachs, outreach and student activities coordinator for the Community Program Center. “UIndy decided to branch off and offer students a more convenient time for our students to volunteer by hosting the event earlier in the month of April.”
Freshman Kailey Willhelm (left) and graduate student Kourtney Maddox help clean up fallen leaves and debris at University Heights United Methodist Church as part of the annual Great UIndy Clean Up event. Photo by Jacki Dillman
Students were sent to Campus Apartments to assist with landscaping, but the rain that morning hindered their mulching the area, one of the major tasks assigned to them.
Other students were sent to the Hanna House, a historic mansion just a short walk from the UIndy campus. Students assisted with the clean up of the area and also were given a tour of the house.
True to UIndy’s Methodist affiliation, students also volunteered at the University Heights United Methodist Church, where they cleaned up trash, pulled weeds and also helped construct a community garden behind the church.
“I heard from a lot of people on campus that this was a really fun event,” said freshman Kailey Willhelm. “So I decided to come and see for myself.”
The final group volunteered at Montessori Garden Academy, where they did landscape work as well and created an outdoor play area for children.
According to Sachs, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, a volunteer-based organization headquartered in Fountain Square, helped get this event started at UIndy and still provides support.
“[Keep Indianapolis Beautiful] is a community who helped to get the initiative started on campus, and they continue to donate supplies such as gloves and trash bags to the event,” Sachs said.
All those who registered before April 1 received a free T-shirt from CPB, and all volunteers were provided a barbeque lunch directly after the day’s events ended.
Students who attended the event may post their volunteer hours on their transcripts through the Community Programs Center.
For more information about posting volunteer hours from this event or from any volunteer experience, contact the Community Programs Center in Esch 155 or call the center’s office at 317-788-3557.
