Cal State San Bernardino students will become a volunteer force of more than 700 in the inland community for the seventh annual Coyote Cares Day on Saturday, April 13, as part of National Volunteer Week, starting at 7:30 a.m.  More than 550 CSUSB students are expected to participate in environmental cleanup, beautification and restoration projects, while about 150 more alumni, faculty and staff will be packing food boxes for families in need, all as part of Coyote Cares Day. The volunteers are expected to complete more than 2,500 hours of service work, said Diane Podolske, director of the university’s Office of Community Engagement. Coyote Cares Day is a day of volunteer service in local communities that provides CSUSB students with an understanding of the work of nonprofit organizations, and engages the students through volunteer service, Podolske said. CSUSB students, faculty, staff and alumni volunteers will come together to complete projects that benefit local nonprofit organizations and community agencies as a way of thanking the community for their support of the university and its mission, Podolske added. “Coyote Cares Day has become an important tradition at CSUSB, and it is symbolic of the 96,000 hours of volunteer service our students contribute each year,” Podolske said. “We are teaching our students that good work can come in many forms – an action, a voice, a vote, a wallet – and we all have a responsibility to help.” National Volunteer Week was established in 1974 and has grown exponentially each year, with thousands of volunteer projects and special events scheduled throughout the week. It is an opportunity to honor the impact of all those who do good in our communities, and inspire others to make a difference and improve the world. Participating community organizations where CSUSB volunteers will serve include:

  • Option House
  • Ronald McDonald House Charities – Inland Empire
  • San Bernardino City Mission
  • San Bernardino Neighborhood Association - Wildwood Park
  • SOAR Charter Academy
  • CASA of San Bernardino County
  • Central City Lutheran Mission
  • Family Service Association of Redlands
  • Veteran’s Exploration Garden
  • Hutton Community Center
  • Helping Hands Pantry
  • Helping Hands Pantry-Garden
  • Huerta Del Valle
  • Inland Empire Resource Conservation District

 For the fourth year, Alumni Relations has partnered with the Office of Community Engagement to bring back alumni to volunteer alongside CSUSB students, faculty and staff. They will help package 2,000 food boxes for Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino. These food boxes will be distributed to families in need in San Bernardino County. The university’s Office of Community Engagement, Santos Manuel Student Union, Santos Manuel Student Union-Program Board, Student Recreation and Wellness Center, Alumni Relations, Special Events and Guest Services, Associated Students Inc. and CSUSB Dining Services are all supporting the annual event. CSUSB’s Coyote Cares Day event has also inspired a group of community organizations to serve in San Bernardino on the morning of April 13. The community-sponsored event is called San Bernardino Cares, and the volunteer projects include an E Street clean up, Pioneer Park clean up, assisting a disabled veteran with his yardwork, and volunteering at the Day of King festival at Martin Luther King Middle School.   The community groups that are involved include the city of San Bernardino, various Kiwanis Clubs, New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, Community Hospital of San Bernardino, several Rotary Clubs, the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa-Delta Rho Chapter and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Volunteers are welcome to join the service effort, with a kick-off event in Court Street Square in downtown San Bernardino at 8:30 a.m. and concluding with refreshments and live entertainment at noon. Visit the CSUSB Office of Community Engagement website, or call at (909) 537-7483, for more information on Coyote Cares Day and other community projects.