Frantzie Saint Juste listened patiently as one student after another gave the same response — too much homework, not enough time. Another day at the Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County, another day understaffed.
If each student at UF volunteered for just one hour, what kind of difference could it make, she wondered.
The idea for the UF 50K Hours Service Challenge was born.
The UF Service Ambassadors in the Center for Leadership and Service created the school-wide initiative promoting volunteering among students, organizations, faculty and staff. The project aims to encourage 50,000 participants at UF to pledge one hour of community service from September until April.
Saint Juste, the director of Service Ambassadors, said they are working to obtain monetary donations that the participant or organization with the most hours can give to a charity of choice.
“I think a lot of times people feel that they’re only one person and they can’t do anything,” she said. “But that’s the worst thing you can do. Small differences create change.”
That’s what leaders of the challenge hope to emphasize with their campaign, said Daniella Phillips, social media manager for the project.
Phillips spent about 450 hours in high school working as a hospice volunteer. When she arrived at UF, she stopped volunteering and fell into the same slump she said many students face.
But now, her work with the project has rejuvenated her desire to volunteer.
“College years are very selfish years,” she said. “I think a lot of people are involved in high school because you’re required to do service, but then you come to college and it’s almost the last thing on your mind.”
