VCU Alumni Association Launches Service Initiative

By Tom Gresham

The Virginia Commonwealth University Alumni Association today launched “Service to Community and VCU,” an initiative to mobilize the strength and talent of 140,000 VCU alumni in a broad and concerted dedication to community service.

The VCU Alumni Association is announcing the new effort in recognition of today’s National Day of Service and Remembrance. The alumni association hopes to inspire and motivate the VCU alumni community, which includes more than 50,000 people in the Richmond area alone, to make a collective push to participate in community service projects.

“We have heard from alumni that they are looking for ways to give back,” said Donna Dalton, president of the VCU Alumni Association. “This initiative will help them locate projects that appeal to them and will allow them to participate with their fellow VCU alumni in activities that benefit their community.”

This fall the VCU Alumni Association is working with the VCU Division of Community Engagement in support of VCU Acts of Caring, a calendar of events that enables VCU staff, faculty, students and alumni to participate in structured volunteer activities that address critical community needs.

In its first major effort the VCU Alumni Association will participate Oct. 17 in HandsOn Day, a large, one-day community transformation project organized by HandsOn Greater Richmond. VCU alumni can choose from more than 40 projects to support with their time. Registration is on the HandsOn Greater Richmond web site at http://www.handsongr.org/AboutUs/index.php/HOGRday.html.

For local efforts, the alumni association will utilize HandsOn Greater Richmond, which provides a link for individuals, families, teams and corporate groups to join together and engage in meaningful volunteer opportunities within the Greater Richmond region. Through HandsOn Greater Richmond, the alumni association will track volunteer hours and help match VCU alumni with service projects that interest them.

A number of projects are in development, and the VCU Alumni Association is interested in hearing suggestions for projects from alumni. For more information, alumni can visit the “Support & Get Involved” section of the VCU Alumni Association web site at http://www.vcu-mcvalumni.org.