The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

‘Clean-Up’ event slated for April

Hunger Clean-Up event organizers are aiming to raise $20,000 in the one-day service project, and students can help realize that goal by signing up before March 31.

Hunger Clean-Up is a service project dedicated to raising money for the Milwaukee community. Students who participate perform volunteer work such as mowing lawns, tutoring children and working at nursing homes, according to Nikki Hertel, event coordinator and senior in the College of Arts & Sciences.

"Each year, we have about 1,500 to 2,000 volunteers from Marquette that go into the Milwaukee community in teams and do different volunteer services," she said.

In addition, participants are asked to find sponsors to raise money, Hertel said. Each team is asked to raise between $75 and $100.

This year's Hunger Clean-Up is scheduled for April 16, and sign-up ends when students return from break, said David Borgealt, assistant dean for community service projects in the Office of Student Development.

Before signing up, students should organize themselves into teams and select a team leader, Hertel said. The team leader is responsible for obtaining and returning the registration form, she said.

"If there are people who don't have friends interested in participating, they can come sign up to just be put on a team," she said.

One of the main goals of Hunger Clean-Up is to educate the Marquette community and greater Milwaukee community about homelessness and the needs that exist, Hertel said.

Another goal of Hunger Clean-Up involves fundraising, she said. Each year, the money raised is given out in the form of grants to non-profit agencies.

This year's money will go to the Delphi House, Gingerbread Land and Campus Kitchens, Borgealt said.

Delphi House will use the money raised to fund an after-school tutoring program for low income, homeless and foster children, while Gingerbread Land will put the money toward repairing the roof on a building that will soon become a youth center, Hertel said.

At Campus Kitchens, the money will go toward funding a job-training program for low-income adults, she said.

"Hunger Clean-Up is a huge event that happens all across the country," Hertel said. "Marquette is usually one of the most successful in the whole country in terms of the money we raise and the amount of volunteers we have."

Hertel said Hunger Clean-Up is a way for students to become involved in the Milwaukee community and serve the needs of others.

"Hunger and homelessness are huge issues, and it's important for students to be able to do something about it," she said.

Sara VanDenHeuvel, sophomore in the College of Health Sciences and member of the Hunger Clean-Up fundraising committee, said she encourages students to participate so they can connect with other students as well as with people in the Greater Milwaukee community.

To sign up for Hunger Clean-Up, students can visit the Office of Student Development in the Alumni Memorial Union, Borgealt said. In addition, students can register online at http://www.marquette.edu/osd/service/hcu.html.

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Mar. 17 2005.

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