Last year, they asked Fresno State to go green and to “Turn Off the Lights.â€Â This year they pose this question — “What Impact Will You Make?â€Â

“What Impact Will You Make?â€Â is an initiative developed by public relations students here at Fresno State.

Their goal is to have students, staff and faculty ask themselves what positive mark will they leave on their community after they̢۪re gone.

Ultimately, the question is geared toward educating and engaging students on campus with the terms service-learning and volunteerism, while advocating the current opportunities offered through the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning on campus.

“Fresno State’s efforts to serve the community have incredibly positive impacts in our community,â€Â said Chris Fiorentino, director of the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning. “We want to continually build student support and encourage more community involvement and volunteerism. This campaign not only provides more awareness of the Richter Center on campus, but, more important, it will help students realize the impact that they can and do make when they volunteer.â€Â

To get the center̢۪s goals going this year, the mass communication and journalism 159: Public Relations Cases and Campaigns class is holding a Rock the Richter Center concert on April 25, from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the lawn behind the south gym. At the event, many non-profits will have booths where students will be able to get information and sign up to volunteer. The concert will feature eight local bands, including Mercury Bullet, 40 Watt Hype, Flight 409, and Headrush.

Other campaign activities include a Richter Center Information Fair to be held April 23 and 24 in the Free Speech Area. In addition, a Capture Your Kindness photo contest is underway with the top photographer winning an Apple iTouch.

“I believe that the Richter Center is a gift to the community because of the magnitude of things that we do and we are involved in,â€Â said Wendy Huggart, one of the public relations students that is working on the campaign.

During the past year, more than 6,300 students participated in organized service learning, logging 485,300 hours. The goal of the Jan and Bud Richter Center is to reach one million hours of annual service from students, faculty and staff by 2011 the centennial year.

“We want our university to have its maximum impact in the community and we need student involvement accomplish this task,â€Â said Huggart. “Or this campaign will fulfill this need and will help students recognize the impact that they have already made and can potentially make.â€Â

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/richtercenter.