Collegiate Times

The service groups are ones all over the community and Gilbert estimates that about 35 percent of those groups are student organizations that are looking for volunteers through VT Engage.

"There is an amazingly wide variety of groups that will be attending, they are community groups, nonprofit groups, and student organizations who are looking for volunteers," Gilbert said. Right now, there is information on the Web site under "Find Volunteer Opportunities" that can give students an idea of what kind of service groups will be recruiting volunteers through VT Engage.

Student groups and service groups, aside from listing their volunteer needs, can also list items that they may need, such as building supplies or transportation funds to travel somewhere like New Orleans. Another way volunteers can serve is to do a fundraiser for the item that group needs. Volunteers with limited time can donate funds for someone else's service project. On the kickoff day on Oct. 16, there will also be simultaneous kickoffs of the program at five different Virginia Tech outposts throughout Virginia, as well as some of our locations abroad, including an outpost in Switzerland. "The Tech community has been challenged to produce 300,000 hours, and alumni have said they're going to match that. The other group we're calling 'family and friends of VT,' which is the Tech community around the world, and I expect there will be 300,000 hours or more pledged from that group, because it is potentially the largest group of all," Gilbert said.

This is its inaugural year, but the organizations running and promoting VT Engage are going to try to make it an annual event.

"This is an ongoing project to encourage community service and to help everyone realize it's good for the community to do community service and especially for everyone right now doing the service in the memory of the people lost on April 16 is something that can help us all heal," Gilbert said. "There are already several projects underway being organized by the families of victims that are service projects we're going to let people know about when the families are ready, so that students can participate if possible."

Anyone interested in registering a service group or learning more about VT Engage and the volunteer opportunities offered can visit the group's Web site, www.engage.vt.edu, or attend the kickoff event on the Drillfield on Oct. 16.

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