Some students may spend weekends sleeping in, but more than 500 UWM students, alumni and staff spent Saturday in the citywide Make a Difference Day.
UWM’s Center for Community-Based Learning, Leadership, and Research organized the event, formerly known as RAK-athon; the name was changed to match the city’s name of the event.
Students and community members cleaned up city neighborhoods and helped with the basic winterization of homes of older adults who needed assistance with raking leaves, clearing garden beds, washing windows and picking up trash.
Nicole Glaser, director of community-based learning at the UWM center, said volunteers worked at more than 100 homes in Milwaukee neighborhoods, including Harambee, Sherman Park and Riverwest.
The UWM students not only helped with yard work, but many spent time visiting with the homeowners and learned about their lives.
“One gentleman called our office after his volunteers left to say that he really appreciated the help he received,” Glaser said. “He also said that he enjoyed the company and energy of the volunteers.”
More than 100 students helped in East Side neighborhoods near campus, coordinated by UWM’s office of Neighborhood Housing.
UWM was the host of the citywide kickoff on Saturday. Laurie Marks, Center for Community-Based Learning, Leadership, and Research executive director and Rob Smith, associate vice chancellor for Global Inclusion & Engagement, addressed the volunteers, as did Bonnie Andrews, Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee Volunteer Center manager, and Mardi Charnitz, director of the Neighborhood Outreach Program at Interfaith Older Adult Programs.
“I think the event was a great success,” Glaser said. “We loved hosting the citywide kickoff and enjoyed welcoming community members to UWM that morning.”
The event was also sponsored by the UWM Student Association, The Cultures and Communities Program, the Alumni Association, Global Inclusion and Engagement, Wisconsin Public Television, The Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee, and Interfaith Older Adult Programs.
