Community service can be a big deal in college. Students who want to make a difference can do so by helping out their community.
USI has trail projects throughout both fall and spring semester, where students can volunteer their time to make parts of our school and areas in the community more pleasing to the eye.
“USI students make up half our volunteers,” Director of Service Learning Anne Statham said. “Our biggest day is usually Greek Week, where we have a couple hundred USI students helping us.
Last Spring semester, the USI trail projects had eleven projects, usually two each month.
Statham said on an average trail project 20 to 30 USI students help out the community.
Multiple youth organizations help with the trails, but Statham said the YCMA, Caldwell Center and Carver Community are the main youth programs who participate.
“We allow children kindergarten through 12th grade to help, but it is usually third grade and up,” Graduate Assistant Lauren Van Hook said.
Van Hook said the younger children look up to USI students.
“The kids think they (the USI students) are cool,” Van Hook said.
It also gives them something to think about, Statham said. Kids may think more about going to college after seeing these cool students.
If students volunteer their time in the near future, they will work on the USI trails behind the residential halls and by Reflection Lake.
Work will include anywhere between making benches, removing over-grown plants and making step stones for easier walking areas.
Junior Asia Peggs originally started working with the AmeriCorps two years ago.
Peggs said people create bonds with other volunteers that last quite awhile.
People from other colleges can come and help here as well; Peggs had a friend from Indiana University come and help her during the trails behind the residential halls last year.
“The trail links USI to Burdette Park,” Peggs said. “With all the trails, USI connects with the community more.”
After the trails are finished, a 42-mile trail will connect around Vanderburgh County.
Another reason to work on trails is “to get outside,” Van Hook said. One of the long term goals for the trails projects are to address health issues within the community.
According to the Courier and Press article, a Gallup poll ranked Evansville, Ind. as the most obese metropolitan area in the country.
“People cannot say there is not anywhere to go in this city,” Van Hook said. “The Pigeon Creek Greenway is paved so people cannot complain it will make them dirty.”
