The Clarion

Issue date: 4/11/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Valla Hilmarsson Students participate in the blanket-making project held last Tuesday. The 20 fleece, hand-tied blankets made were donated to Project Linus that works to give needy children warm and comforting things. More than 25 students attended this event.

Last week, DU's chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary participated in the nationwide "Spring into Service" week that focuses on getting students involved in community service.

Each chapter has complete freedom in designing its activities as long as they are community-service based. The DU chapter wanted to focus on helping the wider community outside of DU and to make the projects accessible for students.

"DU's chapter decided to open the project up to the community and make a week-long event. Students want to help others but they don't always have the time to get off campus and interact in the community, so we decided to do some fun craft projects that will brighten someone's day, but don't take a lot of time to make," said Jamie Grim, coordinator of the project.

The week's events included a variety of hands-on projects that benefited different groups and over 100 students participated in the week-long event.

Monday, students were able to decorate and plant pots that were taken to the Julia Temple Center and Assisted Living Care facility for patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Tuesday, students made fleece blankets for Project Linus, an organization that is dedicated to providing children with warm items like clothes and blankets.

Wednesday, students were asked to stop on the Driscoll Bridge to make dress-up capes for the children at St. Jude's Children's Hospital. This project was done in conjunction with the annual Up 'Til Dawn event.

Thursday, students were encouraged to stop on the Bridge to make an "ABC" card for the students at Gamaru Charity School in Dharamsala, India which lacks learning tools.

Friday, students planned an off-campus event at an urban Denver garden.

However, because of adverse weather conditions, the project was moved inside. The group went to the Julia Temple Center to deliver the plants to the patients.

"We received a tour of the center and got to interact with some of the patients. It was really eye-opening, I had never spent much time in an assisted-care facility and I kept picturing my grandparents there. It must be so hard to have to watch your family members deteriorate from Alzheimers or dementia and slowly slip

away from you," said Grim.

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