April 17-24 is National Volunteer Week, and the University of Vermont has many events scheduled to celebrate volunteers, including several opportunities for volunteers to engage in service. Part of that celebration is Community Works.

Each spring, Community Works brings over 300 UVM students, faculty, and staff together to serve the needs of the local community. They kick off the spring season by committing more than 900 hours of community service, helping many agencies to better serve their clients.

Event organizers especially want to reach out to faculty and staff as well as students.

“This is yet another way for all members of the community to celebrate the community we share,” said Lacretia Johnson, Assistant Director of Student Life.

Coordinated by the UVM Office of Student Life, Community Works has benefited several area non-profits including Champlain Valley Head Start, Starr Farm Nursing Center, Burlington Parks and Recreation, Fletcher Free Library, Ronald McDonald House, and the Green Mountain Club.

All students, staff, and faculty are welcome to participate individually or as members of a group such as a sorority or fraternity, residence hall, or educational department.

Participants must register for the day in advance. The registration deadline is April 16.

Participants will gather in the North Lounge at Billings Student Center for a kick-off breakfast at 9:00 a.m. and an opening address before heading out to their volunteer sites. After 3 hours of service, groups will return to North Lounge for a reflection session and celebration lunch.

Community engagement is a strong component of student life at the UVM, where students participate in a large variety of volunteer service and service-learning efforts throughout the academic year.

This is a great opportunity for the members of the on-campus and off-campus communities to interact, Johnson said.

“UVM has incredible students and the community needs to see them at their best,” she said. “I think they need to see them being good citizens.”

Besides coinciding with National Volunteer Week, this year’s Community Works falls on the same day as the Springfest concert. The organizers of both events hope that both will provide energy and momentum for the other.

“It could be a challenge if students feel like they need to choose one over the other,” Johnson said.

Nevertheless, organizers are not concerned with overlap, since the service projects for Community Works occur in the morning and most of the Springfest festivities begin in the late afternoon.

The two events together creates “a wonderful opportunity to bring the campus together for fun and for service,” Johnson said.

To register, or get more information on this and other community service events, please contact Carrie Williams, Graduate Student for Community Service, at 656-2060.