By Mary Fan
Arizona Daily Wildcat
April 20, 1998

UA volunteers help out at Christmas in April

The UA's All-Campus Philanthropy - the climax of Spring Service Week -dispatched more than 300 UA students and faculty to sites across Tucson and neighboring communities Saturday in a massive outpouring of volunteerism.

"The day brings together students and faculty, sends them into the community and promotes a positive image of the university," said Cliff Unger, director of Project Volunteer, which coordinated the day.

The All-Campus Philanthropy coincided with Christmas in April, one of Tucson's philanthropic traditions that identifies a neighborhood in need of repairs and beautification and concentrates volunteer aid in that area.

UA volunteers could opt to join that effort as part of the All-Campus Philanthropy.

This year's target community was the Stella Mann neighborhood, near South Kolb road and East Golf Links Road.

More than 100 UA students helped 2,500 community volunteers pick up garbage, pull weeds and repair selected houses.

"The UA students are always a big help," said Kyrin Alves, Christmas in April's executive director. "They're especially useful because they come when most of the volunteers, who've started at 6 or 7 a.m., are tired and need an uplift."

Chemical engineering sophomore Heather Hoff said volunteers blanketed the neighborhood.

"Everywhere I looked there was someone with a trash bag," she said.

A bright spring sun didn't make laboring outdoors a pleasant experience for some volunteers.

"The sun was too hot and I didn't feel it was fun," said Jhy-Kai Hsu, an electrical engineering freshman who painted houses for the House of Neighborly Service.

Hoff, however, said she emerged satisfied from pulling weeds and gathering garbage outdoors.

"It was really hot, and I was sweaty the whole time, and I got sunburned, but it was definitely worth the effort," she said.

Satisfaction lay in seeing a difference after the work was complete, said marketing junior Jennifer Wong, who drove out to Green Valley to beautify and build a sandbox at a playground.

"At the end you could really tell someone had just cleaned up - there was a huge pile of sand in the parking lot before and it was gone by the time we finished," she said.

Faculty members said they found working alongside students a refreshing experience.

"It's always fun to work with students because they have a lot of energy," said Tanya Hladkey, senior office specialist to the Navy ROTC. "It's so nice to see students involved in something like this."

The All-Campus Philanthropy, now in its third year, is fast becoming a tradition for some groups.

"I do think it'll become a tradition - it's good to do things the school sponsors as well as our own philanthropies so that we can serve the UA community as well as Tucson," said Kyle Brown, philanthropy chair for Spires sophomore honorary.

By community accounts, the day was a success.

"My grandma said she felt blessed that they came," said Jama McCraney, whose house was cleaned and repaired as part of Christmas in April.

And it gave the Tucson community another perspective on college students, said volunteer Michael Lincoln, a second-year law student.

"It gives a good sense that the university isn't all about partying - we help out too," he said.