Making a Difference before the First Class

Thousands of UCLA Students Fan Out Across City for a Day of Service

(CBS)  Just after moving in, UCLA freshman hustle off to their first pep rally.

It's not for football, but for the biggest, one-day volunteer campaign any school has ever done, reports CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker.

"You literally are leading the nation," said Karen Baker, California's secretary of Service and Volunteering.

An inner-city school got a make-over.

At 7:45 a.m. Angela Sanchez and 50 freshmen on her floor gathered with the hundreds from her dorm, and merged with thousands from other dorms. A blue and gold army of 4,600 loaded onto buses and fanned out across Los Angeles to 26 worksites full of pep and cheer.

Sanchez knows about volunteering. Her family was homeless last year. She didn't despair, she volunteered, tutoring other kids in the shelter.

"It's better than focusing on yourself and your own situation," Sanchez said.

A thousand kids stormed the beach, doing maintenance cash-strapped Los Angeles can't afford.

"It's the most incredible outpouring of volunteerism I've ever seen," said Linda Nitsch, an older volunteer.

"I have more faith in youth than I ever did," said Burt Nitsch.

They cleared brush in Griffith Park.

"I love volunteering, so this is totally fine and I don't have allergies," said Anastasia Zorko, a UCLA freshman.

What does it take to pull off an operation like this? Along the lines of 5,500 meals, 101 buses, 555 gallons of paint, 5,000 paint brushes and 546 shovels and rakes.

"It's great," said James Schafer, a UCLA freshman. "First week of school and we're out making a difference in the community."

UCLA plans to make this an annual event and hopes the students continue giving for a lifetime.

[fletchav]

These kids better be careful. Awhile back one of the right wind nut job radio guys, Michael Savage, compared all the Obama volunteers and volunteers in general, to Pol Pot's Red Brigade. He says they were responsible for the killing a a few million middle class Cambodians and the same thing will happen here. So, in his mind if you are a volunteer you are some kind of killer! Lets see, I volunteered for the the USAF in 1967, I help clear hiking trails, I help with local sports and the American Cancer Society so I guess that makes me "one of those". The scary part? Today's military is all volunteer, and they have guns!!

[agrein]

I really enjoyed the story about the UCLA students volunteering. It's so important to learn to give and care about others. These new college students are our future, and it's wonderful to see such large schools as UCLA instilling the giving attitude into their students. My daughter attends St. Mary's College of MD. They are a very small school, but she also began her college orientation with a service project -- helping clean up historic St. Mary's City. I was very pleased that a service project was part of their orientation. If every college and university reached out as UCLA and St. Mary's has (and I'm sure many do) imagine the changes that can be made!

[mjlacefield]

I also enjoyed the UCLA story...I am glad that other colleges are doing what my college has done for many years. When I began college at Cornell College (IA) 14 years ago, every freshman participated in a service project in and around our small college town during our orientation. The college may be small, but the amount of time spent volunteering was not. Volunteering is still a huge part of who the students are and this service project has continued every year. What a wonderful way for students to start the year off right!