Day of Community Service
A record number of volunteers from Carnegie Mellon University recently participated in a day of service held annually in the Pittsburgh community. Named after the organization's hope of how many would participate, 1000plus was true to its moniker this year — breaking 1,000 for the first time with 1,006 volunteers.
The group partnered for its third year with local non-profit Pittsburgh Cares to assist with adult education and literacy, disaster relief, homelessness and hunger eradication, and environmental protection and preservation.
"We are really excited about this program and it's growth," said Lucas Christain, advisor and coordinator for the event. "I think the level of participation in 1000plus says a lot about our campus community."
Christain said that while the vast majority of participants are students, there are alumni, faculty and staff who participate in 1000plus annually.
"This event celebrates our entire institution's commitment to service and illustrates how strong a value service is within the Carnegie Mellon community," Christain said. "The involvement of the student planning committee has allowed 1000plus to take on a truly Carnegie Mellon feel. The vision of the students has helped craft 1000plus in a way that reflects our campus culture of diversity and innovation."
Another exciting aspect of 1000plus is the potential of long-term impact.
"Students who sign up to do a four-hour project may become inspired to do more and build an ongoing relationship with the organization they serve during 1000plus," Christain explained. "We're excited to continue our growth and to do even more to celebrate and foster the service culture on campus."
For Cindy Wang, a sophomore in business administration, this was her second year volunteering with 1000plus. She enjoyed it so much, she applied to be on the board and was accepted.
"We helped retired people. Some people painted murals. Some did garden work along the roadways," Wang explained. "The day was about raising awareness that there are all these opportunities for service out there. Pittsburgh Cares is always doing these things year round."
Wang's hope is that the day of service inspires many of the volunteers to continue serving throughout the year.
"We get asked all the time about the students who went out and volunteered to shovel snow for local residents during the record-setting snowstorm in February," Wang said. "It wasn't our organization. That's just the nature of students at Carnegie Mellon."
Related Links: WillYouBeCounted.com | PittsburghCares.org
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