Volunteer UGA, the University umbrella association for campus volunteer organizations, has aligned itself with the mission of the new national United We Serve campaign to further its goals of promoting community service among University students.

At first a temporary campaign, but now a federal nationwide initiative, United We Serve focuses on helping those affected by the economic crisis in the United States.

The organization’s Web site, serve.gov, helps users find service projects in their area and offers ideas on how to start their own volunteer proposal.

“Because Volunteer UGA’s mission is so similar to the mission of the United We Serve initiative, we are excited that it is getting a lot of positive feedback and attention,” said Sarah Alongi, Volunteer UGA’s Director of External Affairs. “We hope that because of this, UGA students and the members of the Athens community will put more of an emphasis on service and volunteerism.”

Through its alliance with United We Serve, Volunteer UGA has stepped up efforts to promote service at the University. Coordinators are planning several events to increase student participation in volunteer activities.

The Volunteer UGA Community Retreat for participating organization leaders on Oct. 17 was one of the events. Volunteer UGA organized in light of United We Serve’s mission to assist student organizations in achieving their goals.

“We had representatives from almost 30 service organizations and were able to collaborate on planning events and service opportunities, discuss potential solutions to issues all service organizations on campus are facing, share ideas, and inspire one another,” Alongi said. “We also plan to do similar events that embody the vision of Volunteer UGA and the United We Serve Initiative.”

“My organization got a chance to hear ideas from other organizations and effective ways of leading on campus,” said Jeff Shannon, a senior consumer journalism major from Roswell who works with the Special Olympics.

“Most importantly, I think everyone learned that they are not alone in their efforts to improve the community and consequently had a renewed sense of empowerment for his or her organization’s goals,” said Mary Catherine Hawks, a senior Gamma Sigma Sigma volunteer from Lumpkin majoring in social work.

Student organizations such as the Forever Young Campaign stand to benefit from Volunteer UGA’s new collaboration with United We Serve. The Forever Young Campaign pairs University students with local kids participating in the Clarke County Mentor Program.

“The Clarke County Mentor Program mostly relies on word-of-mouth recruitment. It’s hard to reach large audiences this way,” said Josh McLaurin, a senior international affairs and religion major from Marietta who works with the Forever Young campaign. “It’s really helpful to have Volunteer UGA as an umbrella organization that can point interested would-be volunteers our way. Forever Young is not formally affiliated with the national United We Serve initiative, but we are in full support of the spirit of the initiative.”

Other events Volunteer UGA has planned in cooperation with the United We Serve mission include a kickoff event for freshmen and other interested students and a Volunteer UGA Service Day in the spring.