Freshmen Start with Service

Freshman Caleb Natale and others clean up a garden at Washington Elementary School in Evanston.

EVANSTON, Ill. --- More than 2,000 new students and 250 peer advisors fanned out to 40 sites around Evanston and Chicago in September for a day of community service. They helped spruce up a garden at Washington Elementary School and clean up parks and parking lots in collaboration with the City of Evanston. Other projects included spending time with residents of senior citizen facilities in Evanston, Wilmette, Skokie and Chicago.  

The students’ participation in SCAPE — Serving Communities and Promoting Engagement — followed a week of orientation sessions and welcoming activities. 

“Wildcat Welcome is a great way to orient students to Northwestern and, by incorporating this day of service, they also see that they’re part of the Evanston and greater Chicago community as well,” said Andrea Bell, student community service coordinator in Northwestern’s Center for Student Involvement. “We want students to consider Evanston their home for the next four years and be active members of the community.”

A new addition to the Wildcat Welcome student orientation schedule, SCAPE familiarizes students with the abundance of service opportunities located near the Evanston campus and allows them to make an immediate impact on the surrounding community.

“The community partners were very excited and impressed with the work of Northwestern students,” Bell said. “They were able to accomplish so many important tasks that truly make the work that they do easier. We hope that the service day will be continued from year to year.”

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