The brisk morning air was no match for the warmth that filled volunteers on Marquette’s Make a Difference Day Oct. 25. Over 300 Golden Eagles participated in volunteer work on campus and across six off-campus locations.
Make a Difference Day has been around for over 10 years and is a nationally recognized day in the United States. Marquette has, and continues to, partner with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to do work for this event.
The off-campus volunteering locations for Marquette students included City on a Hill, Menomonee Park, Grant Park and the American Red Cross Near West Side. Students participated in installing and doing safety checks on smoke detectors and doing environmental beautification efforts.
“Seeing senior citizens being really grateful to have students that are willing to come to their houses and help them with the yard work and interacting with our community has really been fulfilling,” Jess Verdejo, director of the Arrupe Center for Community Service and Social Responsibility, said. “It’s really nice to see our service in action.”
Make a Difference Day is one of several opportunities that have allowed Marquette to be ranked No. 1 most engaged in community service by the Princeton Review for the second year in a row.
Even some of the newest students on campus felt a need to get involved.
“I don’t think people see enough value in volunteering,” Esme Thuemling, a first-year in the College of Arts & Sciences, said. “I want to fill the void and let people know that there is help for them and they’re not alone.”
Verdejo shared her hope that participating students would be able to make a connection at the event that could inspire them to make service a part of their college experience.
Isabella Vasser, a senior in the College of Health Sciences and president of Red Cross Club, works at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and believes that as a young person who is physically able to help, she should dedicate her time to volunteering for others.
“If everyone says, ‘Oh, I think the next person is going to do it,’ nothing is ever going to happen,” Vasser said.
Students who weren’t able to attend the off-campus events did card-making for Children’s Wisconsin, first responders and senior citizens. Despite card-making not being as hands-on as raking leaves in someone’s yard, students still found it fulfilling.
“Kids are so hopeful, and they get excited about the littlest things. I could see them sitting in their beds, excited that a stranger decided that they were important enough to reach out to,” Vasser said.
Verdejo encourages students to stop in the Arrupe Center, located in Room 121 of the Alumni Memorial Union, to find out more about volunteering opportunities outside of Make a Difference Day.
Additional opportunities can be found on Instagram at @mucommunity. The Arrupe Center’s Marquette Community Day of Service will be held April 28, 2026.
This story was written by Mina Marsolek-Bonnet. She can be reached at [email protected].
