Each summer and fall, SJR State will solicit applications from organizations and agencies in the community for service projects which would benefit from the volunteer hours being offered by the College. SJR State will only consider service projects organized by organizations and agencies operating within the College’s service district. Such entities may include:
Service projects selected for inclusion on a Viking Day of Service will be charitable projects occurring within the College’s service district that benefit the community at large. Projects should be scheduled to occur on the day identified by the College as the “Viking Day of Service.” Applications will be reviewed by members of the Viking Days of Service Planning Committee using the rubric provided in the Viking Days of Service: Service Project Selection Guidelines. Applicants will be notified if their proposal has been selected no less than two weeks prior to the scheduled Viking Day of Service. While multiple projects will be selected for inclusion on a particular Viking Day of Service, the number of projects selected for inclusion will vary in each instance depending upon the needs of the project(s) selected and the number of volunteers available.
Incomplete proposals, late proposals, projects resulting in personal or financial gain for an individual or entity, projects occurring outside of the College’s service district, projects deemed physically unsafe for College participants by the Committee, and/or projects that exceed the scope of the Viking Days of Service initiative for time and resources will be deemed ineligible for consideration by the Committee.
For each proposed service project, the following information will be required: agency/group/need being served; a contact person to include phone number/email; the location where the service will be performed; description of the project and tasks to be performed; required skill/physical ability of the volunteers; and minimum and maximum number of required volunteers.
The Viking Exchange was established in 2021 thanks to SJR State employees who recognized students’ needs and wanted to help by donating goods and making those goods easily accessible to students at the College.
Through collaboration between Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and the College’s Foundation, and with the approval of the College’s Executive Management Team, a group of SJR State faculty, staff, and administrators worked together to open 4 Viking Exchange locations at the start of the Spring 2021 semester. The SJR State Foundation provided funds to buy the goods and supplies needed to get the Viking Exchange started. Employees from the Library and Advising gathered what was needed and setup each location so each was open on the first day of classes.
Today, there are three Viking Exchanges: one on each campus in the Library. Students are welcome to stop by the Viking Exchange any time the Library is open.
SJR State made the Viking Exchange the focus of the Vikings Spring into Service 2021 campaign. With COVID-19 limiting the types of projects that could be done, holding a donation drive to benefit the newly established Viking Exchange was a perfect fit. The College’s employees were provided with a wish-list of items needed for the Viking Exchange and from January 11 - 15, donations of food and personal care items were accepted at multiple locations at each campus for distribution at the four Viking Exchange locations. From January through May 2021, over 1,500 food products and personal items were donated to the Viking Exchange and made available to students.
The Viking Exchange relies on donations of non-perishable food, hygiene products, and clothing from SJR State’s employees and students. Donations are collected year-round with the campus libraries serving as drop-off points. More information about the Viking Exchange can be found at learningresources.sjrstate.edu/VikingExchange
Service is part of the mission of many SJR State student clubs and organizations, and smaller student-led projects and employee-led projects are planned throughout each academic year in addition to the college-wide Vikings Fall and Spring into Service days. The Vikings Days of Service Planning Committee strives to support these smaller service events through marketing and other resources as available and appropriate.
For more information about year-round student-led and employee-led service projects at SJR State, please contact the Student Activities Coordinator, the Executive Director at your campus, the SJR State Chapter of AFC's Service Project Chair, or any member of the Vikings Days of Service Planning Committee.
