'Project Serve' helps U of G students stay connected while giving back to the community
Students enrolled at the University of Guelph are connecting with the community through short-term volunteering opportunities made possible through Project Serve.
The school-based program allows students to volunteer with local organizations that could use the help.
“We reach out to anyone in the community that is looking for extra hands and then we offer an opportunity to our students to leave the campus, come out, volunteer across Guelph-Wellington and give back to their community,” Helen Keen, University of Guelph local engagement coordinator said.
Project Serve’s single day events used to involve upwards of 300 people per year before the pandemic forced the program to break into smaller groups.
On Saturday, 15 students met at Priory Park Baptist Church to help clean the community garden as the growing season comes to an end.
“Our students are really excited to be working with their hands,” Keen said. “It’s currently mid term season at the university. So a lot of students are taking this as a break from studying, get outside and give back to the community.”
The student volunteers created compost piles that can be used next year, transferred strawberries to raised beds and prepared the orchard for the winter months.
“This is work that needs to be done and it’s very rewarding to help the community and to come back and see the things that grow after we’ve helped here,” Bee Keyes, a third year student said.
Project Serve has been around for more than 20 years with hundreds of students taking part.
For more information visit the Community Engagement Opportunities page on the University of Guelph website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
She was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father. Then life dealt her a blow
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
South Korean sentenced to 14 months in jail for killing 76 cats
South Korean man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for killing 76 cats in one of the country's most gruesome cases of animal cruelty in recent years.