Organizers for CSUnity — Colorado State University’s popular spring community service event — are seeking volunteers in April as part of National Volunteer Month.
This year’s “CSUnity: A National Volunteer Month CAMmunity Tradition” event is scheduled for Sunday, April 23, from noon to 4 p.m.
In the past, the annual service day has attracted more than 2,000 CSU community members who collectively completed hundreds of volunteer projects within the Fort Collins community. Projects include yard work, environmental work and town-and-gown relationship building in which CSU Rams and local nonprofit organizations assist older neighbors and neighbors with disabilities who are unable to do the work themselves or otherwise cannot afford it.
Organizers said they are seeking 1,500 volunteers, with registration closing on Friday, March 31. Register at csunity.colostate.edu.
This year’s goal is “Meaningful and Manageable,” according to Katlyn Murphy, community and staff engagement coordinator for Student Leadership, Involvement and Community Engagement (SLiCE), a student-centered organization at CSU that provides programs and services that create an inclusive community and inspire active and engaged learning.
“We are really emphasizing volunteer teams to recruit a manageable number of volunteers so that they can create the most impact with neighbors and agencies,” she said.
Interested CSU community members can register teams of five or more students/faculty/staff. They also can participate individually and join a team led by SLiCE or other campus partners. Registrations are handled first-come, first-serve until the maximum capacity is reached. Organizers said a waitlist will be created if maximum capacity is met before registration closes.
Once registered, primary and secondary team leaders will participate in an hourlong virtual training session in April, covering responsibilities, coordination and communication. These same team leaders will attend team leader check-in the morning of CSUnity on April 23 to receive CSUnity shirts, gloves and snacks for fellow volunteers, along with further instruction.
Murphy explained that CSUnity offers much-needed support to fellow neighbors and service-based nonprofits, but the impact of CSUnity goes far beyond the four hours of service.
“It deeply impacts CSU students, faculty and staff, but also fellow neighbors, bridging together CSU and the Fort Collins community,” she said. “CSUnity offers Rams the chance to cultivate connections in their volunteer team while also branching out to form connections within the community, generating a deeper understanding and appreciation for one another.”
For more information, visit csunity.colostate.edu.
