Rose-Hulman students stepped away from their studies last Saturday, Oct. 21, to spend several hours completing several community service projects for a variety of Wabash Valley organizations during this year’s Day of Service, an annual event organized by the Office of Student Activities.

A total of 350 students joined faculty and staff volunteers in 38 groups that completed projects for the following organizations: Ben Franklin Elementary School, Benjamin Franklin Elementary School Gardens, Bright Hope Riders, Catholic Charities Solar Greenhouse, Council on Domestic Abuse, DSI Industries-Wabash Valley, DeVaney Elementary School’s Fall Festival, Exotic Feline Rescue Center, Families by Choice, Fayette Elementary School, Haunted Trail, Light House Mission, Meadows Elementary School, Memorial United Methodist Church and Ouabache Land Conservancy.

Student groups also assisted the Riley Recreation League, Rio Grande Elementary School, Ryves Hall Youth Center/Etling Hall, Seelyville United Methodist Church, St. Joseph University Parish, Sugar Creek Consolidated School, Sugar Grove Elementary, Terre Haute Children's Museum, The Pickery, The Salvation Army, Trees Inc., Trinity Lutheran Church, United Campus Ministries, Wabash Activity Center, Wabash Valley Family Sports Center and Wabash Valley Habitat for Humanity.

Rose-Hulman students, faculty and staff members annually share their time and talents by helping local needy families through Habitat for Humanity, collecting and donating more than $54,000 and goods to local organizations, assembling hundreds of bicycles that are provided to local children, and conducting campus blood drives that have since 1977 provided nearly 29,000 units of blood to the Indiana Blood Center for use by hospital patients throughout western and central Indiana.

“Our students are deeply committed to community service and giving back to the community,” says Erik Hayes, vice president for student affairs and dean of students.