AUGUST 25, 2009
UC Berkeley School of Public Health and Berkeley Mayor's Office Sponsor 5th Annual Volunteer Mobilization Day
During Tough Times, Students Take Positive Action to Improve Lives
At Chaparral House, an intermediate-care facility for the elderly in Berkeley, public health graduate student Soledad Drago socializes with a resident. See more photos
On Tuesday, August 25, more than 85 incoming graduate students in public health spent the afternoon performing public service at nonprofit organizations throughout Berkeley as part of the 5th annual UC Berkeley School of Public Health Volunteer Mobilization Day. The event was sponsored by the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and the Berkeley Mayor's Office.
Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates and School of Public Health Dean Stephen Shortell addressed the students at a kickoff gathering at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Union Building on the Berkeley campus. Following the kickoff, organized teams of volunteers were deployed to any of six pre-approved sites where they performed a range of activities such as landscaping a park, stenciling "No Dumping" on storm drains, and working with seniors at an intermediate-care facility. The volunteer event capped off the entering students' orientation activities and followed a morning session on leadership in public health.
"The students' roles as future leaders is something that we stress throughout their experience at the School of Public Health," said Dean Shortell. "During tough times especially, it is up to leaders to step up and take positive action to improve people's lives. This day of service has the students doing that from day one."
Organizations that hosted volunteers included the Black Repertory Group, Chaparral House, Friends of Five Creeks, and the City of Berkeley.
"It is a great opportunity for the public health students to get to know and provide a helping hand to Berkeley's community service providers," said Mayor Bates.
photo: Peg Skorpinski