After the success of Oakland University’s annual Make a Difference Day, the Center for Student Activities and Leadership Development will be hosting OU’s fifth annual Day of Service.

The event will take place in the Gold Rooms of the Oakland Center from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 16.

“There’s a registration table so you can sign in, but you can stay for five minutes, you can stay for an hour, you can stay for as long or as little as you want,”  said Hannah Clark, graduate assistant for Leadership and Service Learning.

The CSA is also requesting that participants bring a protein-based canned item to donate to the Hispanic Outreach Center in Pontiac.

Volunteers will have the option to work on over 15 projects, such as putting together holiday food baskets for the Older Persons’ Commission, making rain-proof blankets for the homeless, and writing letters to American soldiers.

“It’s an opportunity for students to volunteer their time for outside nonprofits without having to leave campus,” Clark said. “There are different stations at the event, and depending on what station you sit at, you could be doing a different project.”

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Froot Loop necklaces will be made for Pontiac’s Grace Centers of Hope, which is a nonprofit faith-based recovery and rehabilitation campus for homeless individuals suffering from abuse or drug and/or alcohol addiction.

Others will be making activity packets for Detroit Children’s Hospital, consisting of items like cut-out letters, numbers, and multiplication and addition signs.

Fleece and Thank You will have a station where participants can create no-sew blankets for children in the hospital.

“I think if I went, it would be a really humbling experience for me, coming from a place where I feel like I have all I need, and there are other people that don’t,” said Darby Freeman, sophomore and journalism.

Many organizations and departments within OU will be donating supplies, such as old T-shirts to make dog toys for the Oakland County Animal Shelter and toiletry items for hygiene kits. The sorority Tri Sigma will also be donating no-slip socks for Children’s Hospital of Troy.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to give back to your community, especially since it’s so easy just to stop in in-between classes because you’re on campus anyway,” Clark said. “Plus you kind of build yourself up through helping others.”

While not required, it is recommended that students RSVP on GrizzOrgs so that the CSA can prepare an appropriate amount of supplies.

In past years, the event has welcomed as many as 600–700 participants working together to better the community.

Co-sponsoring for departments and student orgs is available.

For more information, contact Emily DeLano at [email protected].