U of L students volunteer for more than 7,500 hours in community

University of Lethbridge students are being recognized for their commitment to community.

Nearly 600 U of L students have volunteered more than 7,500 hours at community organizations and are learning about civic engagement through the UVolunteer program.

The U of L has been partnering with Volunteer Lethbridge since 2015 to operate the program, which matches and tracks students working with non-profit groups in the city.

The initiative came about through the efforts of Mike Mahon, U of L president and vice-chancellor, as a way for students to contribute to Lethbridge and surrounding communities.

To date, 583 students have registered with the program and have logged 7,741 hours. During the 2017-18 academic year, 89 volunteers contributed 2,296 hours.

Every year a student is brought on to assist with the program.

This past year, Bryce Baker, a fourth-year Dhillon School of Business student, was involved in marketing the program, establishing connections with faculty and student groups, and collaborating with the School of Liberal Education, which oversees the UVolunteer program.

“My first task with UVolunteer was to organize the UVolunteer fair last fall at the university,” Baker said in a news release. “It was a wonderful event and we had about 30 non-profit organizations attend. It was a great way to raise awareness right off the bat about the UVolunteer program. And it was a way for me to connect more with the non-profit organizations in the community and establish the link between the University and the community.”