For the first time, Sun Devils across the nation participated in diverse community services events Saturday as part of the annual ASU Cares day that has been ASU tradition for decades.
ASU Cares day is usually an Arizona-based community service event, but this year, the ASU Alumni Association decided to take the event nationwide, said Jennifer Holsman, executive director of the ASU Alumni Association.
“We worked with our chapters throughout the country to identify community service projects in their areas,” Holsman said. “[We did this] so [chapter members] could be engaged with the University and provide community service support to whatever areas might be in need in their respective locales.”
She said the association encouraged former students everywhere to get involved in ASU Cares day because it’s not like other alumni events.
“ASU Cares is different in that it provides an opportunity for ASU alumni to give back,” Holsman said. “That’s why the event is important — it allows Sun Devils throughout the country to be engaged, advance and support the communities that we live in.”
Fifteen chapters participated, from California to Washington D.C., Holsman said, and each chapter chose a community service project significant in their area.
In Tempe, ASU alumni met at Hayden Butte to clean up and beautify ‘A’ Mountain, Holsman said, since the mountain is an important symbol of ASU.
Christine Wilkinson, president of the ASU Alumni Association, said she attended the Tempe event to connect with other alumni but most importantly to help the community she is part of.
“It’s always important for people to care beyond their own immediate circle,” Wilkinson said. “It’s an important value system for our students and our alumni.”
An alumni chapter in Los Angeles also decided to clean up a local spot for their community service event, said Edward Devall, president of the Los Angeles chapter.
University graduates in Los Angeles worked with Heal the Bay, a group that helps to keep beaches clean. Alumni helped by picking up debris at Dockweiler Beach, Devall said, and the response was great.
“LA is a big city and some people don’t really know how to volunteer,” he said. “This gives [alumni] a way to give back.”
In Colorado, alumni painted, trimmed shrubbery and cleaned at the Smith Renaissance School of the Arts, an art school for youth, said David Kern, president of the Colorado chapter.
Kern said the ASU Cares community service event was the first volunteering project for the chapter since he has been president, but the group plans to sponsor more events like it in the future.
“Sometime this summer, [alumni] want to take advantage of the Colorado weather and have another volunteering event,” Kern said. “We want to go on trails in the mountains to do trail work and clean up trash.”
Kern said he was happy to take part in ASU Cares day and feels volunteering time is an important part of life. Though time is money, he said, it is one of the most valuable gifts.
“I feel in the state of the [economy] we’re in, the best thing [people] can do is to help others and provide time,” Kern said. “I know time isn’t free, but volunteering is a great way to give back.”
Reach the reporter at abigail.gilmore@asu.edu.
