Students will get their hands dirty Saturday — literally.
This year, more students than ever before will attend UF’s Gator Plunge community service day, serving about 30 local organizations, said Cara Snider, the AmeriCorps VISTA member who runs the event.
Gator Plunge is a day-long service project hosted by the UF Center for Leadership and Service. It is held each Fall and encourages students to get involved with the Gainesville community, Snider said.
Instead of just participating in Gator Plunge this year, a UF co-ed service fraternity will also host its own volunteer activity.
Kara Sharp, Alpha Phi Omega’s service vice president, said the organization will prepare for its upcoming children’s carnival, and Gator Plunge volunteers will be able to help Alpha Phi Omega create games for the carnival.
Sharp, a UF economics senior, has participated in Gator Plunge since her freshman year.
"It really helped cement my experience at UF," the 21-year-old said. "It was just very nice to know that there are other people out there that also were interested in service," Sharp said when referencing her own service experience.
At 8 a.m., participants will meet at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium before carpooling to their service sites, Snider said.
Students were able to register online until Thursday. Other interested students can show up to the stadium on Saturday to be placed with a project team, Snider said.
"The overall goal is to allow participants to reflect on why service is important and also to instill a sense of social responsibility," Snider said. "We really want this to just be the beginning of their service journey."
