The Association of California Cities-Orange County recently honored the University of California-Irvine with a Golden Hub of Innovation award for its “Fifty for 50 Campus Challenge: A Celebration of Community Engagement at UCI.”
UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman’s strategic plan includes more engagement with the local community through sharing campus resources.
The school created a challenge inviting campus staff, faculty and alumni to volunteer for 50 hours or more with a goal of more than 50,000 hours of community service.
The Fifty for 50 campaign began in December 2014. The effort ended up tallying more than 150,000 hours of service beyond campus, said Cathy Lawhon, senior director for Media Relations & Publications at UCI.
The Corporation for National & Community Service estimates the value of a volunteer hour in California at about $27, not including miles traveled, which translates to about $4 million in benefits to the Orange County area, according to Sandy Jones, director of community and local government relations at UCI.
