A spectacular Service Saturday

Saturdays at MSU typically bring football games, skiing at Bridger Bowl or grinding on homework for hours in the Renne Library. For a group of motivated MSU students, this means spending their Saturday morning doing volunteer work at the monthly Service Saturday. Seeing as Service Saturdays are hosted on the first Saturday of every month, the Office of Student Engagement (OSE) hosted their first Service Saturday of the semester on Feb. 1, with nearly 100 students participating. 

Service Saturdays consist of a variety of local service projects open to both students and community members. The goal is to promote the development of new relationships between said volunteers and the greater Bozeman community through diverse projects focused on enhancing both MSU and the city as a whole. Coordinated and sponsored by the OSE, the Service Saturday projects vary from month-to-month, but they always provide volunteers with many options. The most recent Service Saturday featured projects with Habitat for Humanity, Reach Inc., Gallatin Valley Food Bank, Sacks Thrift Store and Montana Dance Marathon.

The five project options allowed volunteers to do a variety of work around the community. The Habitat for Humanity volunteers helped unload donation trucks and organize ReStore, a resale store sponsored by Habitat for Humanity for used building materials and furniture. For Reach Inc., volunteers helped set up for the Have a Heart Auction, the organization's largest fundraiser of the year which benefits adults with developmental disabilities. The Gallatin Valley Food Bank volunteers organized bulk food items for distribution to the community. The volunteers at Sacks Thrift Store helped sort and organize incoming clothing donations to be resold at low prices. For the Montana Dance Marathon, volunteers made tie blankets and Valentine’s Day cards for the Shodair Children’s Hospital in Helena. Shodair is the only psychiatric hospital for children in Montana and is currently working on ground-breaking research in genetic testing.

Megan Pepper, a senior studying elementary education, and Dakota Fletcher, a senior studying biochemistry, are on the executive board for the Montana Dance Marathon and helped coordinate this specific Service Saturday event. The Service Saturday program is one part of a larger series of events in a nationwide movement amongst college campuses to fundraise and support local children’s hospitals. Upwards of 60 volunteers worked hard for a few hours in the SUB to make 20 blankets to be distributed throughout the Helena hospital. 

“We chose this project because we wanted the patients to feel our warmth year-round,” said Pepper. “The most enjoyable part of Service Saturday for me was seeing college students come together to support children they will likely never meet, but yet they still put love into the project.” Service Saturdays are a great opportunity for students to volunteer for a cause they are passionate about. If you are interested in getting involved in the next Service Saturday, check out https://www.montana.edu/engagement/events-programs/service-saturdays/index.html