Knights Give Back to honor UCF's day of service

Expanded to include 1,000 students, faculty and staff, the fourth annual Knights Give Back event will honor UCF's day of service on Oct. 9.

On this day volunteers will disperse throughout Central Florida to promote philanthropy and assist the community.

For the fourth consecutive year, participants can register through Volunteer UCF and chose the organization they want to help at. On event day, they are provided with breakfast and transportation, which is funded by the Student Government Association.

This year, Volunteer UCF is also introducing a new plan where groups of 15 or more can reserve seats for transportation. So far 19 groups have signed up. 

This would provide an opportunity for Greeks to fulfill their community service duties. Alumni are also encouraged to partake in the event.

Although Knights Give Back is fairly new, Volunteer UCF has recorded more than 1,100 volunteers since its birth in 2007. Numbers are expected to double.

Andrea Wright, graduate assistant for Volunteer UCF, said they are sending personalized invitations to staff in order to promote popularity for the event. 

"We hope it's a big leap attendance-wise," Wright said.

Volunteers can log on to vucf.getinvolveducf.com and sign up for their organization of choice. Service sites include the Albin Polasek Museum, the UCF Arboretum and Mending Hearts Inc., to name a few.  

Volunteers will meet on Oct. 9 at the UCF arena where they can check in with their UCF ID. There, Provost Tony Waldrop will speak before buses depart. Groups will leave by 8 a.m. and return by 2 p.m. Every volunteer will receive four hours of service.

The volume and impact of the event continues to increase annually.

"We want to make it a staple at UCF," Wright said.

Since its birth, Volunteer UCF has worked closely with SGA to make Knights Give Back possible.

SGA has been providing funding and support for this agent since its creation four years ago, SGA president Michael Kilbride said.  

"It's a great program that gets students out in the community," he said.

While Killbride himself might not be able to attend the event due to a previous engagement, over half of SGA's cabinet members will participate at the Quest's Camp Thunderbird site.  

Knights Give Back began in 2007 as a brainstorming project of Volunteer UCF. That's when the organization looked to SGA to assist with the costs associated with it. 

SGA's budget for the 2010 Knights Give Back event is $13,000 - less than last year's funds.

"We didn't use it all last year but this year we have more volunteers," Wright said. "We want more funds for next year because we're trying to expand the event.

According to Volunteer UCF adviser Shane Juntunen, Knights Give Back has saved the Central Florida Community $68,930 in its three years of service.

For more information contact Volunteer UCF at 407-823-3318.