To celebrate National Volunteer Week, Fresno State’s Richter Center is encouraging students, faculty and staff to share their service experiences on campus and on social media.
The campaign began on Monday and ended on Thursday, said Richter Center student ambassador Lilliana Toste, a senior studying speech-language pathology.
“For the whole week, we’re — that is, Richter Center ambassadors — will be in the Free Speech Area promoting volunteerism, service and our service-learning classes here on campus,” Toste said. “Just the overall feeling of service we have here.”
National Volunteer Week is organized by Points of Light, a nonprofit started by former President George H.W. Bush in 1990 to encourage the spirit of service.
The Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning seeks to expand Fresno State’s culture of service and promote service opportunities available to students.
Student ambassadors were in the Free Speech Area from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day.
Sophomore and business-entrepreneurship student Aubrey Lim stopped by to share her experience volunteering at the Lowell Community Garden while she was in high school.
“It’s a community garden downtown, and I was helping them plant what they call their ‘Gleaner’s Garden,’ where people can go and pick any vegetables that grew there,” Lim said. “I’m really interested in agriculture and community gardens, so it was a perfect opportunity.”
Each day had a scheduled focus, Toste said. Snapshot of Service was scheduled Monday and Thursday, Thankful Tuesday and Celebrating Service Clubs and Organizations on Thursday.
“For Snapshot of Service, we made a board, and we’re going to encourage students to write on the board where they’ve served and the impact it’s made on them and the impact they made on the community, “Toste said. “It’s for two reasons, really — it’s to give them the due recognition they deserve and to kind of encourage other volunteers to get up and work, serve.”
Catholic Charities, Reading and Beyond, Knights of Columbus, Ronald McDonald House charities and other organizations were all represented on the Snapshot of Service.
Students sharing their service experiences on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with #FSNVW16 and #FresnoStateServes will be entered into a raffle, Toste said.
“We just really want to hear stories of success on our campus,” Toste said. “To celebrate the volunteers and encourage others to volunteer, as well.”
To get involved or learn more about the Richter Center ambassadors, visit https://fresnostaterca.com.