Purdue students to 'Share the Love' by volunteering
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Some Purdue University students are forgoing candy hearts and flowers this year for Valentine's Day, instead volunteering their time during the Share the Love community action day.More than 50 students will spend Saturday (Feb. 11) working at nonprofit organizations and social service agencies around the Lafayette area. The day is an annual event planned by Boiler Volunteer Network, an on-campus volunteer clearinghouse that connects Purdue students, faculty, staff and retirees with community service and volunteer opportunities.
This year, students will be split between Digby House, an assisted-living facility where volunteers will help clean, decorate for Valentine's Day and visit with residents; Tippecanoe Historical Association, where students will set up for the group's annual tea; and Community and Family Resource Center's Head Start program, where volunteers will help clean classrooms. Members of the Acacia fraternity also will spend part of the day setting up for a Valentine's Dance for the Wabash Center that will be held at Central Presbyterian Church.
"The benefits of volunteering go far beyond the impact it can have on the community," said Kimberly Martin, assistant dean of students and director of Boiler Volunteer Network. "Students can get a lot of satisfaction out of the experience and it often serves as an opportunity to form a stronger bond with local residents. Helping others also sometimes helps put their problems in perspective."
Most of the student volunteers will attend a welcome breakfast and orientation session at 9 a.m. and then work at their designated sites from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Members of Acacia fraternity will be volunteering beginning at 12:30 p.m.
Share the Love is one of many programs sponsored by Boiler Volunteer Network each year. Others include the Season of Sharing, a Christmas gift drive for low-income children and families in the area; the Fall Harvest Food Drive, which benefits the Food Finders Food Bank; Boiler Blast, a day when hundreds of students volunteer for community service projects; and Project Move Out, when unwanted items are donated to the community as students move out of residence halls, apartments or houses.
Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu
Source: Kimberly L. Martin, assistant dean of students and Boiler Volunteer Network director, (765) 496-2450, klmartin@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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