Sun Center inspires campus community to help
During fall semester, Students from the Serving Utah Network Involvement Center will be hosting a variety of activities for anyone and everyone, in hopes of inspiring volunteerism on campus.
As director of volunteer services at the College of Eastern Utah, Kathy Murray is in charge of the SUN Center. Her goal is to have each person on campus “get involved in at least one project throughout the year.” This semester the SUN Center has “20 project directors,” each with a unique project, according to Murray.
This archived article was written by: Ryan Ware
During fall semester, Students from the Serving Utah Network Involvement Center will be hosting a variety of activities for anyone and everyone, in hopes of inspiring volunteerism on campus.
As director of volunteer services at the College of Eastern Utah, Kathy Murray is in charge of the SUN Center. Her goal is to have each person on campus “get involved in at least one project throughout the year.” This semester the SUN Center has “20 project directors,” each with a unique project, according to Murray.
Projects can be an ongoing project or be a one-time activity. Throughout the semester, she has a handful of one-time projects for students on campus. Some of the projects Murray has arranged to be involved with include Run, Walk, Roll; Family Night Out; where volunteers are used to look after children; Little Grand Canyon Race, where volunteers are needed to support the contestants; and Demolition Derby, where students are needed to operate the concession stands to help raise funds for the Children’s Justice Center.
Upcoming activities are posted in front of the SUN Center on a clipboard, where students can sign-up to volunteer. If you are wondering what other activities are available, contact Murray in the SUN Center.
If students would rather be involved in something ongoing, Murray offers many “continuous projects.” These projects range from helping the elderly, saving the environment and tutoring students. With 20-project directors, Murray states that there is something there for “every student.”
CEU offers any student a service-learning distinction to any student who completes eight-credit hours of service-learning-approved courses. This distinction will appear on student’s transcript.
The center’s track record for service is remarkable. Last year a total of 10,833 hours was documented worth a total of $211,774.50, was donated. Over 1,732 volunteers participated in 269 projects in the community. One of the highlights of last year was raising $3,085 for the local food bank.
The SUN Center will soon have a blog and Facebook account to make it easier for students to become involved with and keep updated on volunteer projects and activities throughout the year. To sign-up for any projects at the SUN Center, just “come and sign-up,” said Murray.
