2017 Service Day
Thank you to our more than 200 volunteers who spent Saturday, April 1 volunteering across Southeastern Michigan. The SPH community -- including students, alumni, staff, faculty and family members -- provided hundreds of hours of service at eight different sites. Our volunteers were able to provide service in many different ways. Please check the site descriptions below for more information.
Thank you, and we are looking forward to Service Day 2018!
To honor the 75th anniversary of the School of Public Health and its commitment to serving the public good, SPH will hold a Service Day on April 1st, 2017.
The inaugural Service Day will connect SPH citizens - including students, alumni, faculty and staff - with the purpose of public health: promoting health and engaging the community. Groups and individuals will volunteer in their local communities while representing the School of Public Health, and connecting with another. Service Day is centered around a project that can make a difference in one day in local communities.
We will also be holding a "Kickoff Dinner" on Friday, March 31 beginning at 5:30 here at SPH. We will all enjoy an evening together before going off the next day to separate service sites -- plus there will be food and the chance to pick up your Service Day swag!
Please read the descriptions of volunteer opportunities in Southeast Michigan and use the registration link below to sign up for service, and to RSVP for the Kickoff Dinner! If you cannot join us in Southeast Michigan on April 1, join the conversation on social using #Servingfor75.
Registration is now closed.
Snapshot of Service Sites
Organization: Greening of Detroit
Location: Eastern Market (exact location TBD)
Time: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Max number of volunteers: 20
Description: Prepping garden beds for planting. Dress for the weather!
Organization: Habitat for Humanity Restore
Location: 170 Aprill Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Time: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Max number of volunteers: 20
Description: Volunteers will assist with unloading new donations, organizing sections of the
ReStore, stocking newly dropped off donations, customer assistance, cleaning and much
more. We recommend wearing clothes that you don't mind getting a little dusty and
dirty.
Organization: Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor
Location: 102 N. Staebler Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Time: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Max number of volunteers: 20
Description: Volunteers will organize inventory on shelves, sort items that have been dropped
off, organize books, organize albums, test electronic machines and assemble furniture.
Organization: The Gardens (near the Matthaei Botanical Gardens)
Location: 1800 N. Dixboro Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Time: 1-4 p.m.
Max number of volunteers: 12
Description: Volunteers will be working with one of the Gardens' horticulturists, Adrienne O'Brien,
most likely in the greenhouses. However, if the weather is nice, there maybe some
outside gardening work as well.
Organization: American House Carpenter
Location: 3470 Carpenter Rd., Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Time: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Max number of volunteers: 25
Description: In smaller groups, volunteers with engage with residents of this senior housing
unit in a range of activities: puzzles, Wii bowling, crafts, bingo, bean bag toss,
etc.
Organization: World Medical Relief
Location: 21725 Melrose Ave., Southfield, MI 48075
Time: 9 a.m. - 12 or 1 p.m.
Max number of volunteers: 20
Description: Volunteers will assist with storing, packing and organizing medical supplies. Volunteers
will also check expiration dates on supplies to ensure that only the appropriate products
are sent to areas in need of medical supplies.
Organization: Food Bank of Eastern Michigan
Location: 1939 Howard Ave, Flint, MI 48503
Time: 9 a.m. - Noon
Max number of volunteers: 50
Transportation: Will need to depart Ann Arbor by 7:45 a.m.
Description: Volunteers will be trained to conscientiously check, clean, label, sort and box
food and non-food packaged items, which will then be made available to our partner
agencies for distribution in eastern Michigan. For volunteers: closed-toed shoes are
required and we recommend sneakers or boots comfortable for working on cement floors.
No one in open toed shoes or slip on shoes will be allowed to volunteer. Clothing
should fit comfortable to move freely without showing skin. No tank tops, mid-driff
baring tops, and no low-cut tops. When working in a warehouse, temperature can vary
and layers are often more comfortable.
Organization: Bottled Water Distribution with Shiloh Baptist Church
Location: 502 Leith, Flint, MI 48505
Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Transportation: Will need to depart Ann Arbor by 8:45 a.m.
Max number of volunteers: 50
Description: Volunteers will distribute water to individuals who may have difficulty getting
water from a distribution site. This will involve traveling around the city and carrying
water. Wear closed-toe shoes.