UIS plans service activities as part of National Volunteer Week

The University of Illinois Springfield Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center is planning a series of service activities to celebrate National Volunteer Week, April 18-24.

“We will have several exciting activities to highlight the spirit of volunteerism both on campus and in the local community,” said Kelly Thompson, director of the UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center.

The week gets started on Monday, April 19 at 5 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium with a presentation by dynamic public speaker Jonathan Sprinkles. He has won national awards for his inspirational talks on leadership, diversity, and service. The title of his program is called “How to be a Change Maker." Using a highly interactive speaking style, Mr. Sprinkles will talk about how those with the most influence on others are almost always those who serve others, that true leadership comes from those who put others first. This event is part of the ECCE Speaker Series and is co-sponsored by the Student Government Association.

On Tuesday, April 20 starting at 4:30 p.m. in the Sangamon Auditorium lobby the Volunteer & Civic Engagement Center will host the second annual Good as Gold Volunteer Recognition Ceremony, a recognition ceremony for UIS and community members that have volunteered their time and resources during the previous year. This event is co-sponsored by the Springfield Junior League and Illinois Campus Compact.

The week will end on Friday, April 23 with “UIS Cares Day”, a service event where students will help revitalize Washington Park in Springfield by mulching trees from 10a.m. - Noon.

The Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center also plans to release a video compilation and Google map of all of the service projects they’ve done throughout the year. The video and map will be made available on their website at www.uis.edu/volunteer.

For more information about any of the events contact Kelly Thompson at kthom03s@uis.edu or 217/206-8448.