HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Beginning Tuesday, hundreds of volunteers will be on Marshall University’s campus for their annual Community Cares Week: Giving Back to the Herd.
Lasting till Friday, members of the #MarshallUFamily, including alumni, students, staff, and members of the community are invited to volunteer their time and effort to brightening up the university.
“It’s just about giving back to Marshall,” said William Carter, director of operations at the Marshall Student Center.
Similar projects are happening again for the second year of this event, which include landscaping, painting, pressure washing, and glass and floor cleaning.
In the event’s inaugural year in 2022, 451 people volunteered a total of 1,240 hours of service. Around 650 volunteers are taking part in the cares projects this year, according to Carter.
“Our goal was to go 20% over from last year, and we have met that as far as people signing up,” said Carter. “It honestly was not that hard to get people pumped to volunteer.”
With exceeding that goal, Carter expects this week of indoor and outdoor projects will keep the trend of a beautiful campus in Huntington to stay true.
“People always say how pristine and nice our campus and I think it’s very true,” Carter said. “It’s a huge recruitment tool.”
Marshall University President Brad D. Smith said the event helps improve the campus that many call home.
“Last summer, our campus and community came together to embrace the idea of seeking creative ways to support worthwhile causes by donating our time, our talent or our treasure,” said Smith. “The idea emerged to tap into the amazing talent in our community and enlist an investment of time to assist us with completing some projects across our campus.”
Volunteer slots are available in the morning, afternoon and evening. Various projects will take place all across campus. Lunch will also be provided to volunteers each afternoon.
For more information, or to fill out a volunteer form, visit www.marshall.edu/cares.