Giving back to the city of Columbia is one thing almost every student at MU wants to accomplish before they graduate. Caring for Columbia gives students a chance to reach out to the community to do just that through a day of service.
Caring for Columbia has become an annual tradition over the past 14 years, as well as the largest student-run day of service in Columbia. This year, students met Saturday, April 12, to serve the Columbia community. It was a day full of opportunities to serve the city, as well as a day filled with lessons and learning for the students who attended.
“The impact they have as volunteers is huge,” said Kathleen Duffy, advisor for Caring for Columbia. “They are providing three to four hours of service to help complete a project that might not otherwise get done.”
Caring for Columbia 2014 has been in the works since students stepped onto campus for the first time in August. The event coordinators initially set goals to have more than 800 volunteers and serve at more than 40 different sites.
Each year, Caring for Columbia usually has 200-300 volunteers come out to serve. This year, it exceeded that goal and had between 850-1,000 volunteers.
“It was inspiring to stand on Carnahan Quad at 8:45 a.m. on a Saturday and see over 850 students ready to go out and serve the community,” Duffy said.
Students gave back to the community and learned how important giving back is, as well as the impact their service has on the community.
“There is no small impact or project, no matter if you bring a smile to someone’s face by playing BINGO at a retirement home or by planting a garden that will help feed multiple families,” Duffy said.
The main way students can get involved with Caring for Columbia is by being a volunteer at its annual day of service. Students can also volunteer as a project coordinator. More information about these positions and applications can be found at www.leadership.missouri.edu/caring-for-columbia.
(Photo from http://gocomostormwater.blogspot.com)