October 3, 2023

2,000 volunteers bring UCLA spirit of service to the L.A. community

Civic Engagement Friends and Supporters Global Outreach Students

Saturday morning, Sept. 30, an estimated 2,000 Bruins participated in 46 volunteer projects across greater Los Angeles in the nation’s largest new-student volunteer event, UCLA Volunteer Day. The UCLA tradition has included more than 50,000 volunteers donating over 350,000 hours of service to the community during its 15-year history.

Two of the largest events Saturday included about 200 people each, including the annual Westwood Cleanup, where volunteers picked up trash and beautified the neighborhood.

Departing UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, who launched the event in 2009, was recognized at this year’s cleanup. Students presented the chancellor and his wife, Carol, with a plaque in honor of their commitment to volunteerism.

“The spirit of a public university is public service,” Block said, speaking to a crowd of students and other Bruin volunteers. “This is really a visible day for public service, and I know that many of you who volunteer today will want to come back and volunteer more through the Volunteer Center. … Thank you for all that you do. This is my last Volunteer Day — as chancellor. I’ll be back as a volunteer!”

At the Los Angeles National Cemetery, some 200 volunteers honored veterans by helping clean headstones. UCLA student veterans scrubbed alongside other Bruins, with the university’s Veteran Resource Center sponsoring the project.