June 27, 2017—More than 200 students, faculty and staff are expected to donate about 800 hours of service work at 21 locations throughout the Twin Cities region on Thursday as part of Northwestern Health Sciences University’s Service & Appreciation Day.
The day of volunteer work and activities is an annual opportunity for the campus community to give back to the broader Twin Cities Community through service work. This year, volunteer projects will include packing meals donated to individuals and groups, cleaning buildings and grounds of local schools and making blankets for seriously ill children.
“It’s about having an impact on our community that is consistent with our mission and vision,” Northwestern President Christopher Cassirer said. “Our goal is to be the premier health sciences university that helps create a healthier world. Part of that comes through providing service in healthy ways. Giving back creates civic engagement as well as meaningful learning opportunities for our students.”
Cassirer will welcome the Northwestern volunteers and deliver an opening address on the university’s campus before they depart to their service assignments. All volunteers also will be treated to a healthy breakfast as well as discussion about the benefits of smart nutrition from Chef Marshall O’Brien, the Twin Cities’ best-known chef for preparing healthy, delicious meals and teaching the value of nutritious cooking.
Projects for Service & Appreciation Day will take place throughout the Twin Cities region, including: hand- packing meals specially formulated for starving children worldwide through Feed My Starving Children in Chanhassen and Eagan; cleaning at Pillsbury House, Northwestern’s student-run integrated health clinic in Minneapolis; and making blankets for seriously ill children at Project Linus in St. Paul.
The number of volunteer opportunities, participants and hours of volunteer service donated for Service & Appreciation Day have grown every year, Cassirer said, and the 2017 involvement is expected to continue that trend.
“This is about celebrating what’s right in our community and advancing the mission of all of these groups while also advancing our mission,” Cassirer said. “For our students, this is a chance to volunteer but also to provide meaningful reflection about how working in the community can advance their educational experience.”
For more than 75 years, Northwestern Health Sciences University, based in Bloomington, Minn., has provided world-class professional education and research as well as comprehensive health and wellness services. Its more than 130 faculty members annually teach about 6,500 students pursuing degrees and continuing education in accredited programs in chiropractic, acupuncture, therapeutic massage, Chinese medicine, nutrition and other health treatments. Northwestern has more than 7,500 graduates throughout the U.S. and in 21 countries. For more information, please visit nwhealth.edu.
