MOST OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY SERVICE/INVOLVEMENT NOMINEE

Ole Miss Vietnamese American Student Association

Volunteering with the Local Animal Shelter

Provide a detailed description of the event and the population it served. Details MUST include: date of event, number of participants, program purpose (goals, objectives, etc.) and use of resources (finances, community support, etc.).

The Oxford Animal Resource Center is a local animal shelter in Oxford, Mississippi. It provides a temporary, loving home and multiple services to numerous strays. Since it relies heavily on donations and volunteers, we decided to dedicate a day to helping them clean and reset for the incoming pets. We introduced the community service event during our first general meeting in the spring (February 16th). We sent several reminders in our general GroupMe and promoted the event through word of mouth. On February 26th, we had 10 members spend their afternoons cleaning out the kennels, washing the food bowls, washing the laundry, and taking some of the dogs for a walk. Although we performed a very simple act of service, the shelter was greatly appreciative of our help in promoting a clean, welcoming environment for the animals.

What efforts were used to motivate and involve the organization's members?

We incentivized our members to participate by offering both member and family points. At the end of the year, the top ten members and the family with the most points are rewarded with a gift. Moreover, as most of our members are involved in organizations that require community-service hours, many of them wanted to be involved with the event.