The time that has passed since the events of April 16 have been full of reflection and regrouping, during which the Virginia Tech community has had a chance to reevaluate its mission in life, as well as the legacy that we and our school will leave behind.
Like so many efforts since that day to help students and the community recover and repair, the new program VT Engage is encouraging students to work together, along with their families and all community members, to help heal and memorialize those who were lost. What makes VT Engage unique is the opportunity it provides participants to make a positive impact in the name of our school and our community, by redefining our motto, 'Ut Prosim,' as well as the chance to move forward, and turn grief into something positive.
"The mission of VT Engage is to encourage and facilitate community service. It will connect the university with the community to help meet the needs of volunteer groups on campus and in the community at large," said Karen Gilbert, the coordinator of VT Engage.
The VT Engage program is a community-wide service initiative whose goal is to reach 600,000 hours of community service by April 16, 2008 in honor of the victims of the tragedy.
Members of the university community, Tech alumni and even family and friends of Virginia Tech are encouraged to pledge as many community service hours as they think they can fulfill in the memory of those lost on April 16.
"Imagine the power of 600,000 hours of community service," university spokesman Mark McNamee said in a statement announcing the initiative. "We can truly make a significant difference in communities around the world. We also hope other colleges and universities in the United States and abroad will join us by volunteering to honor the exemplary individuals we lost."
"The most important thing about (VT Engage) is the mission, and there is essentially a two-pronged mission," said Susan Felker, communications manager for Outreach and International Affairs and member of the steering committee for VT Engage representing university relations.
"First of all is to honor those we lost on April 16, many of whom were deeply committed to community service. Just reading their biographies, it was amazing what some of them had done at such a young age. "Secondly, we want to rededicate ourselves to the university's motto, 'Ut Prosim,' and work on reviving that spirit of service to society that has been a part of Virginia Tech since its founding."
The initial goal of the program was for Tech students, faculty and staff to complete 300,000 hours of community service by the goal date. However, the Virginia Tech Alumni Association executive committee also decided to extend the challenge to its members, as well as Tech alumni all over the world, asking them to match the outreach with another 300,000 hours.
The initiative estimates that if each member of the community pledges at least 10 hours of community service before the goal date, it should be no problem to reach the goal and beyond.
In order to organize the program and help match volunteers with the right kind of service for them, whether it is community service, service-learning, or another volunteer opportunity, VT Engage has established a Web site (www.engage.vt.edu) that has information for potential volunteers.
On that Web site, students can log and keep track of their volunteer hours, and post information about their experiences if they wish to share their stories.
The Web site also has registration forms for service groups who are looking to recruit volunteers through VT Engage and/or set up a booth at the Drillfield kickoff.
There are countless ways to get involved with the program, and the organizers want to stress that no matter who or where volunteers are, they can get involved.
"You can participate as an individual, you can participate as a group, and that doesn't mean it has to be a formal student group, just a group you decide to volunteer with," Gilbert said. "Another way that students can use VT Engage is to recruit volunteers for things they're already doing."
"VT Engage is there as a connector between groups and volunteers and assistants who are looking for a way to serve their community," Gilbert said. "As of right now, we have 60 service groups (registered to participate in VT Engage) and that number is still growing."
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.