This post was updated Oct. 13 at 12:16 p.m.
Students and community members woke up early to participate in UCLA’s annual Volunteer Day on Saturday.
Approximately 2,000 Bruins registered to volunteer at 37 locations across Los Angeles and the United States, according to a written statement from UCLA Media Relations. Held annually by the UCLA Volunteer Center since 2009, Bruins have dedicated over 353,000 hours to serving at Volunteer Day, contributing a value of over $9 million, according to the statement.
Interim Chancellor Darnell Hunt helped kick off the day in De Neve Plaza, where over 120 people gathered to clean up around Westwood. Hunt said he hopes students will learn the value of community engagement from their volunteer experiences.
“This ethos will drive us forward and help our students become the leaders and the contributors that they were born to be,” Hunt said.
Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Monroe Gorden Jr. said he found the engagement indicative of students’ proclivity for leadership.
“The fact that students would get up early to be out here to celebrate giving back, I think, says a lot about all UCLA students and our entire community,” he said.
Stephanie Chacon, one of the program coordinators, said the event shows that many Bruins are passionate about serving others. She added that the event was a challenge to organize, with planning beginning months in advance and alumni volunteering around the state and even as far away as Honolulu.
Around 9 a.m., volunteers gathered in De Neve Plaza as organizers made speeches about the value of community service. Afterward, participants set out toward Westwood Village, picking up trash along the way.
“Everyone’s coming out early in the morning. It’s pretty early. We’re all tired,” said Mathew Dinh, a second-year biochemistry student. “It’s a good community-building experience, and we’re also helping make the environment cleaner and nicer.”
Jaylin Henderson, a third-year sociology student, said she volunteered with members of her sorority, Alpha Sigma Theta.
“A lot of students in Westwood come out here, and sometimes it’s not as clean as we would want it to be,” she said. “We want to be able to help our community and help our students feel welcomed in a clean environment within Westwood.”
Volunteers said they found a large amount of trash along Gayley Avenue from parties held the previous night. Yuvraj Walia, a first-year human biology and society student, said he wants people to be more mindful of the amount of waste they are generating.
“Pick up after yourself because we don’t want to be doing it for you,” he said.
Elliot LeBlanc, a first-year economics and mathematics student who volunteered alongside Dinh and Walia, said he would also like more people to use trash cans instead of leaving garbage in parking lots, as they saw throughout the morning.
Volunteer Day is particularly geared toward building community among new students, although all Bruins are encouraged to participate, Chacon said.
Events this early in the year are a unique opportunity for students to experience something new, she said, adding that she hopes Volunteer Day can help people make friends and establish themselves as members of the community.
Azlan Alam, a first-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student, said his group had exchanged Instagrams and bonded over the course of the morning.
“It feels good to get to see other students at UCLA helping the community, getting to explore Westwood a little bit, too,” he said.
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