UCLA’s Volunteer Day sends 7,000 students across region to help
More than 7,000 UCLA students took part in Monday’s sixth annual Volunteer Day, working at schools, senior centers, parks, food banks, and veterans’ facilities in a large community outreach effort.
Most of the participating students were freshmen and new transfer students who are about to start their first quarter at the Westwood campus later this week.
More than 100 buses took them from campus Monday morning to about 40 locations that included Griffith Park, an elementary school in Koreatown and a transitional housing center in downtown Los Angeles. They helped restore hiking trails, painted schools, catalogued books and sorted supplies at food pantries, among other tasks.
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block joined the activity at Los Angeles Elementary School. “Through Volunteer Day, we are emphasizing to students how improving the quality of life in Los Angeles and truly engaging with those around us are integral to a UCLA education,” Block said in a statement. “We’ve seen how starting off the school year with service inspires Bruins to stay involved throughout their academic careers and even after graduation.”
Twitter: @larrygordonlat
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