Thank you so much to everyone who participated in Fall Service Day 2021.  We had over 600 people involved this year and because of your help, 45 community projects were completed and Walla Walla University’s core value of Generosity in Service is brought to life in our community!  


Here is a list of all the projects we were able to complete in the community!

 

Community Garden Upkeep - Enactus

The College Place Community Garden is open for all community members to come plant and pick food. Enactus, the local club that helps sustain the garden, was able to give some needed TLC and build 10 garden beds for more plants to grow and bloom with help from the students at Walla Walla University. 

Processing Center Clean Up - Hope Heals Walla Walla 

Hope Heals Walla Walla needed volunteers to help clean up their processing center. With students help they were able to take things to Goodwill, cut cleaning rads, organize, create toiletry bags, and sort items for care packages.  Hope Heals loved seeing you there helping out!

Project Fall Spruce Up - YMCA 

Just as the YMCA is a place full of diverse opportunities and experiences, their volunteer needs greatly vary. They are looking for people with many diverse skills who are willing to help where needed. They have different projects like organizing, painting, weeding, landscaping, or even helping in the aquatics and childcare departments, and would love your help in giving their center some TLC.  

Clean Up Outside - Care-A-Lot Center

The Care-A-Lot Daycare and Preschool needs helping maintaining the grounds and buildings so that it continues to be a safe and beautiful place for their students to play and learn. You have the opportunity to help wash and clean things like the windows, gutters, and even the building itself so that it is a clean place for the kids to grow. 

Max volunteers: 4

Children’s Museum Restoration - Children’s Museum of Walla Walla

The Children’s Museum of Walla Walla is a great resource for families around the area and they need your help to maintain and upkeep the property. Their needs include using a lot of interesting skills tied to renovation like repainting, staining and sealing furniture, putting up trim and boards, and tearing down some old fencing. No prior experience is required, so come and volunteer if you are interested in learning some new life skills while helping support this local business.

Max volunteers: 10

Mt. Hope Cemetery - Theology Club

*THEOLOGY CLUB* As a way to grieve, family members often come to the Mount Hope Cemetery to mourn and remember their lost loved ones. Mount Hope Cemetery has asked for us to come help maintain their grounds and continue to make the cemetery a nice place for families to come visit. Maintenance includes cleaning headstones, removing vines, filling holes, pruning low hanging limbs, and other grounds work that helps us give back to families in need in the area. 

Max volunteers: 20

Wallula Facility Remodel - Blue Mountain Television

Interested in letting off some school stress while helping others? Like demolition and dry wall removal? Blue Mountain Broadcasting needs help removing some partitions inside their facility which means we you have the change to constructively destroy property while helping someone else. 

Max volunteers: 8

Eliminate Invasive Kochia Weed at Whitman Mission National Historic Site - Whitman Mission National Historic Site (National Park Service)

*BIOLOGY CLUB ONLY* While Whitman Mission is a beautiful place to visit, the park service needs our help maintaining it’s beauty. The invasive kochia weed, which is native to Europe and Asia and toxic to livestock, has been invading Whitman Mission. The National Park Service has a larger plan to start introducing native plants to the area but need our help in first removing this noxious weed. Come wearing long pants and close-toed shoes to help reshape and grow the beauty of this Sabbath hot spot.

Max volunteers: 10

Shed Building - Community Member

A single elderly lady who lives alone is in need of our help!  She is an avid gardener who thrives on working outside and she needs a new she shed to store her equipment. We already had an amazing crew come out and tear down the old shed during our Jumpstart service day. Now we need a few students who are willing to help build a brand new one!

Max volunteers: 12

Mural Upkeep - Blue Zones Project/Commitment to Community 

Attention art lovers! If you love art and believe in community art this is the project for you. Commitment to Community that is supported through BMAC needs 12 volunteers to spend time with community members in cleaning and preserving a mural. 

Max volunteers: 12

Free Intelligent Conversation - Community Project 

Free Intelligent Conversation gives you the opportunity to connect with people in the community and have meaningful conversations. This group will go to downtown Walla Walla and engage with community members through a selection of cue cards, this is a great way to step out of your comfort zone and make connections with people that you wouldn’t normally talk to! 

Max volunteers: 30

Community Pet Food Packaging - Blue Moutain Humane Society

In an effort to curb pet food insecurity and help at risk communities, BMHS Provides pet food to BMAC, the Walla Walla Senior Center, and the VA! This involves bagging dry cat and dog food into individual servings to be able to be disperses to these locations. Help prepare to feed hundreds of household pets! 

Max volunteers: 6

Brainstormer - His Kids In Action

We need people who are excited to work with kids to help us organize our program facility as well as brainstorm program ideas such as arts and crafts, skits, music, and more to use in our program!

Max volunteers: 5

 

Sonbridge Clean Up - Sonbridge Center for Better Living

SonBridge is a resource her in college place for those who need help in our community and helps refer people to other social services in the area. It does a lot for the Walla Walla community and could use your help too! This year SonBridge needs volunteers that can organize and work to help clean up the store. 

Max Volunteers: 8

 

Shelter Clean Up and Organization - Blue Mountain Humane Society

If you love animals of all kinds, this is the volunteer group for you! With so many animals, the Blue Mountain Humane Society needs help caring for the animals. They need help deep cleaning which includes sanitizing and organizing the cat adoption floor, animal care facilities, and their office areas. Please be aware of your personal allergies when signing up for this group, and don’t forget to bring closed toed shoes! 

Max Volunteers: 6

 

Food Bank Bag Build - Blue Mountain Action Council

Through our Backpack Bridge program we aim to serve students who face food insecurities at home with a bag filled with food for the weekend. Through our bag build we have a queue line where volunteers put bags together while socializing and listening to music. 

Max Volunteers: 25

 

Dog Walking - Blue Moutain Humane Society

The dogs at the Bule Mountain Humane Society can get bored sitting in their kennels all day. They rely on volunteers to make sure they each get to go outside, go potty, exercise, play, and get cuddles multiple times a day! BMHS has all the leashes, toys, fenced yards, and poo bags, but just need you! Please wear closed-toe shoes and pants that cover the knees. 

Max volunteers: 6

 

Fort Walla Walla Museum - *HISTORY MAJORS ONLY* Center of Humanitarian Engagement

History majors and minors, this project is for you! You will have the unique opportunity to help clean and dust historical exhibits, as well as tidy up the museum grounds. Come help and preserve history. 

 Max Volunteers: 8 

 

Walla Walla Public Library - *PEGASUS CLUB/ ENGLISH DEPARTMENT ONLY* Center of Humanitarian Engagement 

Pegasus club members, come volunteer at the local library! Share some kindness in volunteering while sharing your love of books and literature. 

Max volunteers: 10 

 

Apple Picking - Center of Humanitarian Engagement

Join the Center of Humanitarian Engagement in complete one of the ultimate fall activities: apple picking! If you are ready to kick off the fall season by helping share the fall fruit, this project is for you. Come chat and pick while helping share this years amazing fall harvest of apples! 

Max Volunteers: 30 

 

Wheatland Village Fall Festival - Wheatland Village Parkview

Ready to celebrate the Fall festivities? Come join the Wheatland Village Memory Care and celebrate! Wheatland Village is a home for older residents of Walla Walla who need extra help and services. They are having a fall festival during Service Day, and they need help manning some Fall Festival booths. If you are interested in being creative, facilitating fun, and would like to interact with some of the members of Wheatland Village, this project is for you!

Max Volunteers: 12

 

Domestic Violence Shelter

In 2020, 70 lives were lost (ages 4 to 74) to intimate partner violence in Washington state. We have recorded around 45 narratives about the incidents in which these deaths occurred. Volunteers will be distributing these stories somewhere downtown, possibly on Main, possibly in the blocked-out area on First. For each narrative, Goodwill has provided a pair of shoes to go with each life lost in each of the incidents. We have also found photos of some of the people involved that are included with the stories. We edited the stories to omit last last names and some of the uglier details, but the stories are disturbing. Maybe you experienced a violent or emotionally abusive home or you are especially sensitive. If so, this project might be difficult or even inappropriate for you.

Whatever you decide, take care of yourself and make space to recover. In addition to distributing these stories in an approved space, we need some signs for walkers to carry in our march against Domestic Violence (noon on Oct. 20). Messages should be short and bold so they can easily read from a distance. Maybe "70 lives lost in 2020," "End Domestic Violence," "Men against domestic violence," the YWCA Crisis line phone number, etc.) If time permits, we may also put up a display using our lifesize orange cutout people. This year there were 70 lives lost (ages 4 to 74) to intimate partner violence in Washington state. We have recorded about 45 narratives about the incidents in which these deaths occurred.

Max Volunteers: 10

 

Bush and Plant Upkeep - Regency at the Park 

Interested in creating art in nature? The retirement home Regency at the Park wanted help upkeeping the grounds, specifically trimming the nearby bushes on their property. WWU students made it happen!

Local Resource Packet Assembly - Walla Walla Valley Disability Network

Walla Walla Valley Disability Network is an organization that helps provide resources and support for families and people with disabilities, and they need some extra help. In volunteering you would be able to directly help provide resources to families by filling folders full of useful information that will be used by those needing support in our community. 

Max volunteers: 4

Thoughtful Letters for Volunteers - Walla Walla Child Advocates

Are you interested in sharing intentional, kind words to volunteers who care for children in our community who need extra support? The Walla Walla Child Advocates group brings together volunteers who help care for and advocate for children in the area. To thank them for their hard work you would be writing thank you cards for advocates, foster parents, and social workers in the area. 

Max volunteers: 3

4Bikes Cycle Track Demonstration Project - Blue Zones Project Walla Walla Valley

In partnership with the City of College Place, Blue Zones Project Walla Walla Valley will install a temporary protected cycle track along 4th Ave for two blocks. Volunteers will help with painting stripes on the road, painting a buffer between traffic and the bike lane, and placing large barrier items in the buffer. Volunteers may be needed to lift and/or carry large or heavy objects. Safety vests will be provided. 

Max volunteers: 10

Herring House Refresh - Providence St. Mary Medical Center

This 5 bedroom 2 1/2 bath house was donated to Providence Hospital for patients who are receiving chemotherapy and need a n inexpensive place to stay. This project includes deep cleaning the home so it can continue to serve as a safe place for individuals to recover. 

Max volunteers: 6

Thrift Store Reorganization - Yeehaw Aloha - E Isaacs Ave.

If remodeling or organization is your thing, this is the project for you! Yeehaw Aloha, a local thrift shop, is dedicated to community wellbeing and almost all of their proceeds go to youth camps. To fund their organization, they run two shops that need some TLC and decorating for Christmas. To fund their organization, they run two shops that need some TLC and decorating for Christmas.

Max volunteers: 20

House Prep and Paint -Valley Residential Services Client

One of Walla Walla’s elderly disabled community members needs your help! She is in need of a few students to help paint her house before winter comes. Don’t have any painting experience? That’s okay! It is simple and we will give you a quick crash course. You will be a pro in no time!

Max volunteers: 20

Habitat Store Remodel (Tri-Cities) -  Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity not only builds homes for community members who need them, but also owns and operates a retail store in town that helps fund their projects. They gain hundreds of donations, but due to limited staffing, need help sorting through things. If you are interested in sorting, organizing, pricing, or improving the store in the hopes to help fund more houses for families in need, this is the service project for you. This event has needs in the Tri-Cities area, and therefore will last until 2:00PM due to travel time.

Max volunteers: 4

Sports Field and Bus Lot Clean Up - College Place School District

Outdoor spaces that we don’t always think about, like lots that house school buses or baseball fields, require maintenance that we don’t always see. In order to keep these spaces running, the College Place School District needs help cleaning up their bus lot, baseball, and softball field for this coming school year. 

Max volunteers: 15

Trail Maintenance: Remple Natural Area - Blue Mountain Audubon Society

Arthur G. Rempel Fort Walla Walla Natural Area is a great place for nature exploration any time of the year. The 65 acre and over 2 miles of hiking trail require a lot of up keep. The Audubon society needs help spreading bark over the trails to get ready for the winter season. 

Max volunteers: 15

Oversized Christmas Decoration Creation - Washington Odd Fellows Home

To try and combat loneliness in the Washington Odd Fellows Home, the staff is planning to bring Christmas to their residents, and they need your help. If you like arts and crafts, decorating, prop making, or Christmas in October, this is the project for you. The home is trying to decorate and transform their auditorium to bring residents joy and they need help making props. The theme is “An OVERSIZED Christmas” and they could use some help bringing people holiday cheer.

Max volunteers: 30

Hiking Trail Refresh - C2C

Interested in exploring more of Walla Walla or just like a bit of hiking? Bluezones needs your help maintaining some trails in the downtown area. This project includes trail maintenance, cleaning up so it’s easier for people to use, and just helping make the outdoors of Walla Walla more useable for its community members.

Max Volunteers: 40

Walla Walla Valley Academy Garden Upkeep - Walla Walla Valley Academy

Working outside has the benefits of not only being outside but getting to see and explore all the cool things in nature. If you like working with plants, and miss the curative experience of gardening, this project is for you! Come out and help support Walla Walla Valley Academy by helping upkeep and maintain their garden. You’ll be working with plants and geting your hands a bit dirty in the garden. 

Max Volunteers: 10

 

Service Day Set-Up - Center of Humanitarian Engagement

Are you a morning person who wants to get their community credit done before 8am? We are looking for volunteers who are interested in reaching out to their fellow students and making their Service Day great! Help CHE get ready for service day by coming out at 6:30am to set up for all the incoming volunteers. Volunteers are needed to help set up tables and hand out t-shirts and volunteer vests. 

Max Volunteers: 10

 

Pioneer Park Fall Landscape Clean-Up - Center of Humanitarian Engagement

Pioneer park is a wonderful public park that many community groups and members use all year long. With the beautiful change of season, the park needs some extra maintenance and TLC. Come help the Park's Department with the fall annual landscape clean-up by removing the annual flowers on either side of Sasayama Drive in Pioneer Park. 

Max volunteers: 30

 

Therapeutic Horseback Riding Center Cleanup - Blue Mountain Therapeutic Riding Center

If you like horses, this is the service project for you.  The Blue Mountain Therapeutic Riding Center works with people of all kinds of abilities and needs, and could use some help cleaning up. They need help moving panels and hay, weeding, cleaning water troughs, and grooming horses. Sign up to help some wonderful people and see some horses.

Max volunteers: 25

 

Service Day Photographers - Center of Humanitarian Engagement

Want to share your creativity and highlight the beauty of Service Day? We need  your help! The CHE needs photographers to document and capture the impact of Service Day for the community and for the students. For this project you will need to have your own camera for photos and your own mode of transportation to drive between projects and take pictures (but don’t worry, all projects are close to campus). 

Max Volunteers: 10 

 

Wheelchair Ramp Revamp - Commitment 2 Community

Commitment 2 Community needs help with a new ramp. There’s a resident in the area who needs help repairing and maintaining their ramp. We will be painting and upkeeping the ramp to help make sure the resident can continue to have accessibility.

Max Volunteers: 4

 

Campfire Walla Walla Revival - Campfire Walla Walla

Are you interested in helping youth in the area while getting outside in nature? If so this may be the service project for you. Campfire Walla Walla is a nonprofit in the area that dedicates their time and resources to working with youth to encourage and grow the spark of discovering who they are. Campfire Walla Walla needs help outside with trimming bushes, cutting branches, washing their patio, and leaf blowing. So it you are interested in getting outside while supporting our local youth, sign up now! 

Max Volunteers: 6