In a powerful display of local engagement and civic pride, 58 UIC students, staff and faculty spent April 11 volunteering in Chicago communities for the university’s annual Day of Service.
The UIC Day of Service, the university’s biggest service event, is a longstanding tradition that brings together Flames from all corners of campus to volunteer at community organizations across Chicago. This year’s event featured partnerships with four organizations: World Vision, Esperanza Community Services, Kuumba Tre-Ahm Community Garden and Share Our Spare.
Volunteers were assigned to one of the four service sites, where they spent the day sorting donations, packing care kits, gardening, weeding and helping to beautify local spaces. From the West Side to the North Side, each site offered opportunities for meaningful hands-on service and a chance for volunteers to connect with local communities in need.
“It’s always incredible to see how much can be accomplished when we come together for a common cause,” said Parrama Chouhan, graduate assistant for Student Leadership and Civic Engagement. “The energy and commitment from our volunteers was truly inspiring.”
As the day started, Rae Joyce Baguilat, director of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement, reminded participants of the deeper purpose behind the day: “SLCE’s mission is to provide student-centered co-curricular leadership and service programming that facilitates diverse and inclusive collaboration, self-awareness and socially just community engagement while encouraging personal and professional development, active citizenship, cultural humility and transformational growth,” Baguilat said.
“Our values are diversity and inclusion, collaboration, self-awareness and social justice,” she added. “Thank you for giving of your time and talents today to help bring SLCE’s mission and values into action.”
At the Chicago warehouse for World Vision, a Christian organization focused on helping people experiencing poverty, volunteers packed care kits and sorted donations of essentials for families in need. At Share Our Spare, a nonprofit in Irving Park that provides supplies for babies and children, they organized and sorted donations.
Volunteers helped with gardening and cleanup at two other service sites. At the Kuumba Tre-Ahm Community Garden in Garfield Park, they rolled up their sleeves to weed, plant and prepare garden beds for the spring. The fourth service location was at Esperanza Community Services, which provides programming, life-skills training and care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Volunteers cleaned up outdoor spaces and gardened.
The Day of Service emphasized UIC’s deep-rooted mission of community engagement and fostered new connections among students, faculty and staff through shared service.
As the day ended, volunteers left tired but fulfilled, reminded of the power of collective action and the importance of giving back.
For more opportunities like this, check out Student Leadership and Civic Engagement at slce.uic.edu or follow them on Instagram @UICSLCE.
— By Parrama Chouhan