Students to win money for volunteering

More than 3,000 college stores, including Barnes & Noble at UCF, will participate in the second annual National Student Day sponsored by the National Association of College Stores on Thursday. The goal is to promote and encourage socially responsible behavior from students. There will be a scholarship prize contest and Barnes & Noble promotions.

The contest consists of students submitting their stories of volunteerism to NACS, and the authors of the three most popular stories get cash scholarships in the amounts of $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000. There will be another seven winners chosen randomly who will receive iPads.

“By people coming to the site and reading these experiences, we hope that those who might not currently volunteer will be encouraged to do so,” said Charles Schmidt, director of public relations for NACS.

Barnes & Noble at UCF will be participating in National Student Day in two ways. There will be a national scavenger hunt on the Barnes & Noble national Pinterest page. Students will have to unscramble a secret word for a chance to win a $300 gift card. Also, on Thursday, there will be a flash sale at the bookstore where all clearance items will be 50 percent off.

Judith Buckingham, the senior corporate marketing specialist for Barnes & Noble said in an email that the company has been a member of the NACS since 1985 and it is proud to participate on a day that is dedicated to celebrating and promoting social responsibility by college students.

“Participating in the National Student Day is a natural extension and expression of our commitment to higher education, students and social responsibility — fostering a positive relationship between our stores and students,” Buckingham said.

The idea for National Student Day began in 2011, partly due to the hostility that was pervasive in the country at the time. There was a growing divisive climate in Washington, D.C., culminating in the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona, Buckingham said.

NACS “came to the conclusion that, since college stores collectively come in contact with millions of students each year, our industry had a duty to use that access to these young leaders to encourage socially responsible behavior,” Schmidt said.

The idea to reward this social responsibility was put into place last year and the NACS contest had almost 300 entries. While there are no definitive qualities the contest entries should have, Schmidt said they hope the stories are inspirational examples of how the students’ volunteer experiences have enriched their lives and improved the lives of others.

“College isn’t just a time when students are experimenting about what they want to do with their life, but also the type of person they want to be,” he said.

For more information, to enter the contest or to learn more about NACS, visit www.nationalstudentday.com.