During this academic year, the University of North Dakota challenges its students, staff, and faculty to volunteer 188,300 hours of their time towards service, coinciding with UND’s founding year, 1883. Participants can contribute to this challenge by recording their service hours at und.edu/volunteer.  

Between UND’s student body, comprised of over 15,000 students, staff, and faculty, this challenge can be completed if everyone volunteers one to two hours of their time per month.  

In the Greater Grand Forks area, there are organizations searching for volunteers. These organizations include but are not limited to, service towards animals, children, basic needs, seniors, music, theater, health, the environment, places of worship, and others. For more information, visit UND Volunteers at und.edu/volunteer.  

While UND Volunteers outlines specific volunteer opportunities, service hours do not need to come from the confines of that list.  

“Our goal was to share any volunteer opportunity that we could find so that our students, faculty, and staff can each find a good fit for them,” Kristi Okerlund, UND’s director of student involvement and parent programs, said. “[But] you can volunteer anywhere and record your service as part of the challenge.”  

Once service is completed, participants can log their progress at und.edu/volunteer by clicking the button labeled “record service hours” and entering their volunteer hours. To record service hours, volunteers need to enter their name, student or EMPLID number, date of service, organization served, and hours served. Then, indicate whether they are a student or employee and if they hold a leadership position in that organization.  

As Okerlund oversees UND’s Food for Thought Food Pantry, a resource that provides non-perishable food items and personal hygiene products to students in need, she observes the impact volunteers make.  

“Our Food Pantry has two student coordinators and the rest of the staff in the Food Pantry are volunteers,” Okerlund said. “Every day, I see the impact that our volunteers make by having our doors open to serve their fellow students in need of nonperishable food items and personal care items.”  

Additionally, Okerlund advises the Quo Vadis Chapter of Mortar Board, a senior, national college honor society centered upon the ideals of scholarship, leadership, and service, at UND. Mortar Board hosts an annual Turkey Basket Drive by raising $25,000 to be able to provide 1,000 families in the Greater Grand Forks area with food for their Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey baskets are distributed on Saturday, November 23, at the UND Transportation Building between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  

“The impact that the 35 members of Mortar Board are making in our community is tremendous,” Okerlund said.  

Students may not have the financial resources to donate to non-profit organizations, but they may have a few hours they can give of their time to serve an organization within the community.  

“Not only will volunteering help boost a student’s resume, but it will also help them learn more about the community they live in [and] boost their mental health by serving others [and] offering a helping hand,” Okerlund said. “Also, to help them have balance: take a break from studying to walk a dog or help with an event that is important to them. It gives students an opportunity to learn about something they’ve never done or experienced before.” 

Dylan Campbell is a Dakota Student General Reporter. He can be reached at [email protected].