Fresno State students sell special-edition Fresno Bee newspapers for Kids Day.

A benefit for Children’s Hospital Central California, Kids Day is one of the Valley’s largest fundraising efforts. Each year, well over 1,000 Fresno State students volunteer to sell special edition Fresno State newspapers. Competition between student organizations to sell the most papers often drives students to stake out the most popular street corners as early as the evening prior to the kickoff.

With this year being the 25^th anniversary of Kids Day, we hope for record breaking sales.  So far, registration for the event has been a great success, but more volunteers are needed.

If you would like to register to participate on Tuesday, March 6th, or for more information, please click here.

- Ambassador Leah

A Fresno State student proudly makes her pledge at the Picture the Change booth.

The most recent Picture the Change photos have been posted! Check them out here.

To learn more about Picture the Change, click here.

Share the love by donating blood! Fresno State blood drive February 14 - 16, 2012.

Nope!  That’s where your community involvement comes in!  There’s no bigger sign of love than helping others around you and making them feel special, too.  Plenty of organizations across the United States, and even in the Fresno area, are planning some fun Valentine’s Day-themed service projects.  This month, a group of Fresno State students made Valentine’s Day packages that they delivered to children in the Valley.  Or, you can donate a pint of blood to save up to three lives!  This week, the Central California Blood Center will be on campus with blood mobiles at 4 different locations.  It only takes a small amount of initiative, but the appreciation and love felt by those being helped will last for a long time.  Take some time with your valentine to help others in a way that really makes you proud.

And for all the single guys out there: chicks dig service-learners!

-Ambassador German

Also, be sure to check out the Richter Center Ambassadors booth!  We will be continuing our “Picture the Change” campaign at this event, and we want you to help us by pledging.  This campaign began in 2009, inspiring Fresno State students to develop a vision of continued community service in their future through personal pledges.  Learn more about “Picture the Change” here.  The ambassadors will be present to answer any questions about the campaign and about their personal service experiences.  Make sure you pledge to learn more about how you can win a lunch for two with the Richter Center Ambassadors!  Hope to see you all there!

Check out this video from last year’s spring volunteer fair for an example of what you can expect!

-Ambassador German

Your Richter Center Ambassadors, pumped and ready to present the first ever Champions of Service workshop. As you can see, Ambassador Ryan is very excited to begin!

Two weeks ago, the Richter Center Ambassadors launched a new program that we’ve been developing all semester long! The program is called Champions of Service, and features a workshop and presentation that focus on inspiring students to champions of service in their own communities.

I had the privilege of being a part of the team that delivered the first presentation/workshop to Central High School in Fresno. About 15 students showed up after school to hear what we had to say and participate in our activities. We started by sharing a little bit about what we do at the Richter Center and what our roles are as Ambassadors. Next, we talked about why community service is important, some of the internal and external benefits that come from being a volunteer and some of the ways to get involved at Fresno State as well as other college campuses. After our brief presentation, we jumped into our workshop time!

The goal of the workshop was to help students learn how to be an effective volunteer in their community. We encouraged the students to think about what qualities make up a good volunteer (big heart, commitment, imagination, etc.) and what the strengths/weaknesses of their communities are. We concluded the workshop with a short brainstorming session during which we allowed the students to bounce ideas for their own community service projects off us.

It was really exciting to be a part of this program, and I hope to continue being involved as we work to bring the program to more high schools in the surrounding area, and hopefully even classes offered here at Fresno State!

- Ambassador Ryan

–Margaret Mead

Margaret Mead at work.

I came across this quote the other day, and I was so inspired. We often feel that we are too small to make an impact. It is so easy to become discouraged. In my experience as a volunteer, having this feeling also gave an excuse for giving up. Why try if we can’t make a difference? After reading this, I realized that thinking that way is so wrong!  Change starts with a group of dedicated people, or even one person. Every change in the world had to start somewhere. Never think that your volunteer work is too little or not enough, because you can make a difference! Don’t give up.

Happy Holidays!

- Ambassador Jillian

I was stationed at Playland, a small amusement park in the heart of Fresno where kids and their families can go for a great time. My job was to help repaint “The Octopus” ride, seen below. Others helped to repaint benches and “The Big Rocko” ride, and another group helped clean the deck near Shipwreck Cove.

"The Octopus," one of the rides worked on by volunteers at Serving Fresno Day.

It was a long process, but the results were very much worth it. Serving Fresno Day was a great experience that allowed me able to give back to the Fresno area while helping make the park a more fun and beautiful place for kids and families to be for years to come. It truly is incredible to be able to make a difference that will be seen and enjoyed by so many.

Next time, I hope to join the Sierra Foothill Conservancy in restoring trails and making the foothills an even more beautiful place to visit. In the meantime, I look forward to volunteering with other Fresno agencies that give back to our community.

With the season of giving coming up, here’s some food for thought: What are some of the ways in which you can give back to your community?

- Ambassador Becky

Volunteers beautify an exhibit at Rotary Storyland and Playland.

It’s almost that time of year again.  The holiday season comes with a sense of gratitude.  It’s all about slowing down a bit, spending time with family, and most importantly, giving thanks for the great things that surround us.  What better way to kick off this season of giving than by joining in the efforts of Serving Fresno Day 2011?  Join a group of fellow Fresno State students as they share their time and desire to help on Saturday, November 19, 2011.  We will be working with our community partners, the Sierra Foothill Conservancy and Rotary Storyland and Playland.

Volunteers clear trails with the Sierra Foothill Conservancy.

Interested in helping?  You’d better act quickly!  Click here to register for this event by Wednesday, November 16.  This is sure to be a great experience, and an awesome opportunity to give back.

-Ambassador German

I was reading a list of famous community service quotes. This one in particular caught my attention and got me thinking.  At first, I thought it meant that every person is valuable in his or her own unique way. Then, I remembered how this quote is in a list of famous community service quotes, so I started to think on its relation to community service.

Personally, I feel that in relation to community service it means no matter what type of volunteering you do it is still volunteering, so it is still making a change even if that change is small.

What about you? How do you think this Dr. Seuss quote relates to community service?

-Ambassador Val

Ambassadors Mika and Daniel take a short break from cuttin' trails at last year's Make a Difference Day with the Sierra Foothill Conservancy.

Interested in making a difference?  Love the great outdoors, and making it more accessible to other enthusiasts? Do you hold a soft spot in your heart for that favorite play area from your childhood, and want to help restore a kid-favorite spot, known valley wide?  If you answered yes to any of the above, the Richter Center Ambassadors have a solution for you!  Make-A-Difference Day, one of the highlights of the volunteering calendar for Fresno State is this weekend, and this community service advocate and supporter will be building trails with the Sierra Foothill Conservancy at the Mckenzie Preserve in the foothills.  It’s sure to be a good time!  With any luck, I will see you bright and early Saturday morn, and we can share a few hours building trails for the enjoyment of all.  Or maybe you’ll decide to lend a hand at Rotary Storyland/Playland – either way, this is sure to be one of the best volunteering experiences of the year.  Don’t miss out!

–Ambassador Daniel