Approximately 2,000 students, alumni, and community members took part in Service Raleigh this spring. The one-day service initiative allows participants to serve their community and encourages individuals to continue volunteering throughout the year.

Now in its 14th year, Service Raleigh was responsible for generating over 6,000 hours of community service to benefit residents of the greater Wake County area.

NC State students and community volunteers plant trees in local neighborhoods and parks.

The event is NC State University’s largest student-run philanthropic project. Service Raleigh was first launched in 1998 as a collaborative effort between Park Scholarships and Student Government. This year, volunteers worked on projects at over sixty sites. Projects ranged from labeling storm drains with the Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation to collecting and distributing food with the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle.

Prior to departing for their sites, volunteers attended a kickoff celebration on Harris Field. The event began with an enthusiastic welcome from NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson and concluded with a keynote address from Keith Fishburne, president and chief executive officer of Special Olympics North Carolina.

Park alumni prepare an educational garden for spring planting in Crowder District Park.

Service Raleigh co-chairs Trey Mullikin ‘12, Scott Richardson ‘12, and Drew Rothenberg ‘12 provided leadership for the organization this year and coordinated a team of committee chairs and volunteers.

“Our organization worked tirelessly to provide unique service experiences to each of our volunteers in the hopes of fostering a lifetime commitment of public service in the community,” Mullikin says. “The greatest reward from Service Raleigh was looking out on 2,000 people on a Saturday morning and seeing a crowd teeming with an amazing excitement to begin service.”