Yale University People Volunteer for Community Service Day

Faculty, staff and students from all over campus will paint, plant, give away free books and otherwise assist a wide range of local non-profit organizations on the fifth annual Yale Community Service Day (CSD), April 26.

The day will begin at 9 a.m. with a breakfast and kickoff in Beinecke Plaza. Teams of volunteers from different parts of campus will be transported to their project sites where they will receive their materials and service assignments. All projects will be completed by 1 p.m.

Yale CSD is organized by the Yale College Council, the undergraduate student government.

“For the past five years Yale Community Service Day has been a great way for different groups of the Yale community (undergraduate, graduate and professional students, as well as faculty and staff) to interact with each other and celebrate Yale’s partnership with New Haven,” says Yale College senior Larry W. Wise, II, co-chair of the event. The other chair is Yale College Council vice president Emily Schofield, who adds,  “We look forward to the Yale community coming together again this spring to work on behalf of our New Haven neighbors.”

A few of the sites that will benefit from volunteer help this year include the New Haven Reads Community Book Bank, the Eli Whitney Museum, the Connecticut Children’s Museum, the New Haven Land Trust, the Creative Arts Workshop, the Boys’ and Girls’ Club, the YMCA and the Yale Farm.  The 2008 Yale Community Service Day will feature approximately 15 volunteer opportunities. More than 250 people participated in last year’s event, donating approximately 800 hours of service to 12 sites around New Haven.