[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/macserve08.jpg” caption=”Students helped clean up a local creek. Photo courtesy of Adam Kuhn.”]From cleaning up garbage to caring for orphaned animals, a group of 190 McMaster students did anything but sleep in last Saturday. Instead, they woke up bright and early to volunteer their time and energy to 14 local organizations as part of Mac Serve, a one-day community initiative organized by the Office of Community Service Learning and Civic Engagement (OCSLCE).

Adam Kuhn, manager of the OCSLCE, explained that Mac Serve benefits both students and the community

“It's reciprocal,” he said. “The agencies are getting something out of it and the students are getting something out of it.” He added that student feedback has been positive. “Students want more events like this.”

One group of students volunteered with the Bay Area Restoration Council to collect garbage from a local creek while another group volunteered at the Friends of the Aviary, a sanctuary for abandoned birds in Westdale.

“I have been a part of Service Learning in the past and I have loved all those experiences, so I wanted to share that with the students in my community,” said Emma Tucker, a fourth-year health sciences student and community advisor who brought her residence floor to volunteer.