In an effort to promote volunteering and the spirit of goodwill, UCSD students gathered early on the morning of May 1 to participate in 11 community service tasks throughout the San Diego area. Sponsored by the A.S. Volunteer Connection, the 13th annual Hands on San Diego project attracted more than 300 students seeking to assist in various community projects.
Shortly before participants were sent to their assigned locations, Thurgood Marshall College Provost Cecil Lytle spoke about the importance of public service.
“Why should we demand that you develop your computational skills but not your citizenship skills?” Lytle said. “Join with the colleges in the challenges of institutionalizing citizenship endeavors.”
Lytle also urged that the volunteers’ involvement not end with the conclusion of the day.
“Don’t [volunteer] just to meet a cute girl or guy,” Lytle said. “I hope your [community service involvement] doesn’t end in your mind at 5 p.m. today. This is a day of reflection and thought in what it means to be a member of this community.”
Activities ranged from administrative tasks to physical labor, on campus and in the greater San Diego area.
Marshall senior Margaret Chan led a trash cleanup at Rose Creek near Pacific Beach. According to Chan, approximately 20 people participated in ridding the creek area of litter.
“We stayed until about noon because we did as much as possible,” Chan said. “Eventually there was no more trash to pick up.”
Approximately 50 members of the Sigma Chi fraternity participated in the Special Olympics at Point Loma Nazarene University. With athletes as young as eight years old, the Olympics featured track and field events, such as standing and long jumps, as well as other less traditional events like a softball throw.
“Some of us were paired off with athletes to hang out, while there were some groups of four or five who stayed and ran the event,” Sigma Chi member Mike Simmons said. “It was an amazing event and run very well. The athletes were so passionate — it was fun to see how much fun they were having.”
Another event in which students participated involved the San Diego Audubon Society, whose purpose is to foster the protection of birds and other wildlife through education and study.
“There was a house of 15 acres donated to the Audubon Society, and we were in charge of cleaning it up, getting rid of the weeds,” Thurgood Marshall College sophomore Melissa Higgins said. “It was tiring, but I had fun. The people running the place were very nice and bought us lunch — they even expressed their surprise when they learned we weren’t doing this for credit.”
One event that was confined to the UCSD campus was a scavenger hunt run by Friends Understanding Needs, in which UCSD students served as mentors to sixth-grade students. In addition to the two-and-a-half- hour scavenger hunt, UCSD students talked to the sixth-grade students about college, focusing on why they decided to attend a university.
“It was a really good turnout,” Marshall junior Atousa Hojatpanah said. “It was a little bit more laid back than the other labor, but the kids really seemed to enjoy it.”
The day also included can collecting in the Coronado neighborhood. One week prior to the event, students distributed flyers to notify businesses and residences that donations would be collected for the Western Service Workers’ Association, an organization that works with veterans and battles homelessness and hunger. According to Revelle College freshman Ellen Almirol, approximately 200 to 300 cans were collected.
“Everyone was very nice and helpful,” Almirol said. “It’s good to know there’s always people out there to lend a helping hand.”
Special Projects Director Shaza Hanafy was pleased with how the day went.
“The logistics went really smoothly,” Hanafy said. “We have never had that many people sign or show up. We usually get a 30- to 50-percent show out of whoever signed up,” Hanafy said.
She also credited Student Organizations and Leadership Opportunities adviser Emily Marx for the event’s success.
Hanafy believes that community service should be much more than a resume enhancer.
“Many students see community service as something just to put on an application,” Hanafy said. “As humans, we need to contribute, not just consume and leave without making an imprint on the world. San Diego is a great community, but it doesn’t mean it can’t get better.”
It is also important, Hanafy said, that participants understand that although they can’t change the entire world in one day, small acts help to make a difference.
“Volunteers always have high expectations of making great changes,” Hanafy said. “They don’t realize that the little things they do can really make a difference, like helping an organization paint its parking lot because it doesn’t have the funds to do it professionally. One thing a lot of volunteers don’t realize is that these activities are strongly tied to civics and those nonprofit organizations who have to bear the budget cuts.”
Students interested in volunteering can visit the A.S. Volunteer Connection office, located on the second floor of Price Center.
