Human Corps in the community

Fancy capes, tight spandex and weird sidekicks are optional for the UC Davis Human Corps’ annual Week of Service. Instead, altruism, selflessness and a willingness to get a little dirty for the community will suffice for anyone who wants to be a hero.

Community service is an act of heroism, said Courtney Millhoff, Human Corps student manager. [Volunteer and] be a community service hero.

Located in South Hall, Human Corps strives to establish volunteer opportunities between the campus community and organizations in the Davis and Sacramento areas.

The Week of Service is a seven-day event beginning Sunday. Volunteers can sign up online to do community service for the listed organizations at Human Corps’ website.

Human Corps began hosting its Week of Service in 2001, and has steadily signed up more volunteers, as well as organizations, in need of help over the years. In staging this annual event, Human Corps hopes to draw students and the rest of the Davis community out to spare some time to volunteer.

We promote student involvement because community service is very important, Millhoff said.

These one-time volunteer events ask participants to commit themselves to service only during the Week of Service. However, Janice Morand, a project manager at Human Corps, hopes to use the seven days to introduce participants to local organizations and further a hunger to do community service.

These are one-time only activities, Morand said. There is no application, and no background check. We are trying to give an opportunity for the students to volunteer. [That way] they can meet organizations and establish a personal connection.

Prior skills are not needed to be a hero in the community. All projects are accessible for any volunteer and encompass a variety of community service.

Volunteers will be helping us with our Apr. 12 plant sale, said Betsy Faber, the UC Davis Arboretum’s education outreach manager. Proceeds benefit the arboretum.

Faber began working at the arboretum as a naturalist in 2001, and has been there ever since. She says these one-time-only opportunities allow new volunteers to discover the benefits of community service, saying that many become lifelong volunteers.

It’s a special opportunity, these one-time events, Faber said. Students are introduced to the event and from that, they [then] want to volunteer. I think that if students get started early in life, they will have a life long commitment to volunteering.

Space is still available for many of the volunteer events. Faber needs people to help with the arboretum, and hopes the slots will be filled up quickly by good-hearted members of the community. Volunteers can sign up at humancorps.ucdavis.edu/volunteers/wos-view.htm.

We like to tell our volunteers ‘Please help us grow’, Faber said.

JACKSON YAN can be reached at features@californiaaggie.com.XXX