As a way to increase community service around Martin, the Institute for Civic Engagement is encouraging all UTM students to give one act of community service a week in the “Move to Make a Difference” program, which will last one month, October 10 through November 10.
“Think of the impact our university could make on this community and surrounding communities if each student set aside/sacrificed one hour a week to do some kind of community service/volunteerism. We live such fast-paced, self-centered lives that it is hard to devote, what seems like, significant time towards helping others, but in the scheme of things one hour is a tiny amount of time. … If each one of us contributed one insignificant hour a week, think of the huge, significant amount of time we would be devoting towards the betterment of our community as a whole,” said ICE marketing intern and challenge creator Suzanne Peckham.
According to ICE director Mike McCullough, community service is an important element of human interaction.
“Community service helps me remember that all our fortunes are intertwined, sometimes I have a need you can meet, and sometimes it’s the other way around. Busy lives, energy constraints, more poverty, less opportunity for meaningful human contact…all these help raise the value of community service,” McCullough said.
Not only does community service affect relations between humans, but it also helps the community flourish.
“Communities absorb service the way deserts absorb water, it does not end the drought. One hour a week for literally all UTM students would be around 28,000 hours, so at minimum wage levels that would be an economic impact of over $200,000, but… the real impact is greater than an economic formula can measure,” McCullough said.
According to McCullough, this service can also affect students positively.
“It will affect each differently, no doubt, but perhaps the one common effect might be that they each will feel a warm glow from helping others with no expectation of personal gain. Find a way to serve and if it makes you feel better, that’s a good kind of selfishness,” McCullough said.
Students are being motivated to give community service not only by the influence they are having on the community, but by prizes and extra credit given to those who submit their hours by November 10. Plans are still in the works for when the prizes will be given away, but ICE is planning for Nov. 11.
As for volunteer information and how to submit hours to ICE, information will be provided on OrgSync, Facebook, Blackboard, Democracy Plaza boards and the ICE web site.
Also, students can e-mail or call ICE to ask for specific volunteering opportunities.
Volunteer hours and time frames are flexible.
According to the web site, students can volunteer “one hour a week for the month or we will also accept a onetime event consisting of at least four hours.” Service done for class credit still counts.”
For more information, visit http://www.utm.edu/ice/movetomakeadifference.php.
