The work varied greatly from pulling weeds to painting, from cleaning toys to socializing with abandoned dogs. All work was done by volunteers from the Valparaiso University School of Law for the Valparaiso University Day of Caring that took place on September 20, 2008. The event was well represented with volunteers from each of the three classes. Third-year Jennifer Sheetz, President of the Valparaiso Law Democrats, did an informal count and estimated there were at least 60 Valpo Law volunteers. Sheetz, who helped organize the event in conjunction with the Porter County United Way, was happy with the turn out, believing it was larger than the previous year.
This was the second year the University had its own Day of Caring. At the end of August, before school was in session, the Porter County United Way
held its fifth annual community wide Day of Caring, where community members from around Valparaiso would work on a project. The University Day of Caring was started with the intention of giving University students the chance to participate in the event since most students had not returned from summer vacation when the community event was held.
The day started off with a breakfast of doughnuts, orange juice and coffee at 8 a.m. in the Student Union. Valparaiso University President Mark Heckler spoke to the assembled volunteers. He praised the volunteers for their dedication to helping others, say
ing their dedication confirmed his belief that this generation of college students was dedicated to volunteering unlike any that had come previously. After his speech and a group picture, the Valpo Law volunteers, representing 12 student organizations, piled into cars and fanned out to the six sites around town.
Two of the sites, the Porter County Animal Shelter and Alice’s Halfway House for Women, were new to this year’s event. The other four sites, the
Hilltop/Reiner Community Center, St. Agnes Adult Day Service Center, the Caring Place, and Family House were involved in last year’s event. Some clubs were matched with a site based on their particular interest while other clubs were simply assigned to sites where help was needed.
The six sites were not-for-profit
organizations that rely heavily on public funding, donations, and volunteers. Most do not have the time or funds to do general maintenance, which was one way Valpo Law students made a difference for these organizations. The organizations were grateful for the work that the Valpo Law volunteers were doing.
“We do not have enough time to do general cleaning. Our schedule is constantly full,” explained April Cinko, the Director of Family House, which supervises visitation of children under the jurisdiction of the Welfare Department with their non-custodial parent(s). “The Day of Caring is good because it allows us to get things done that usually do not get done.” As she spoke, upstairs in the house’s visitation rooms, members of Phi Alpha Delta and Phi Delta Phi were busy cleaning hundreds of toys with sanitation wipes. Other volunteers were outside raking and weeding.
Pat Jackson, the administrative assistant at the Porter County Animal Shelter, was ecstatic about the work the volunteers from Valparaiso Environmental Law Society and Student Animal Legal Defense Fund were doing. “I am so happy. How can you ask for better help? They’ll do anything you ask,” she said, referring to the foul business of cleaning the dog runs.
“Valpo Law students make a huge difference. We are lucky to have such a large number involved,” Britta Neinast, the United Way Volunteer Coordinator for Porter County, noted.
The mood among the volunteers was lighthearted despite the tedious nature of the work. At the Caring Place, which provides service and shelter for victims of domestic abuse, volunteers from the Black Law Student Association, Women Law Students Association and the Equal Justice Alliance joked among themselves as they pulled waist-high weeds. At St. Agnes Adult Day Service Center, Student Bar Associa
tion officers posed for pictures in colorful hats they found while organizing the center’s kitchen and pantry. The mood was similar at Alice’s house, a halfway house for women recovering from alcohol and drug abuse, where members of the Christian Legal Society tried to cram old computers into the back of a pickup truck. At the Animal Shelter, volunteers were covered in fur from holding the kittens and playing with the dogs.
Second-year student, Lucy Wess, the Philanthropic Chair for the Sports and Entertainment Law Association, provided a reason for the cheerful atmosphere. “People are really grateful,” she said as she took a minute off from
cleaning a banister at the Hilltop/Reiner Community Center. “This is great for the community.” Sheetz agreed but also believed that volunteering helps the law student. “Most law students are not from around here. [Volunteering] makes them feel a part of the community.” As she finished her inspection of the different sites, Sheetz was upbeat. “This year is a success.”
Entries (RSS)