On Saturday, Oct. 5, the newest Bruins on campus were introduced to UCLA Volunteer Day, the annual fall tradition that has become a cornerstone of the UCLA experience. The citywide day of service, which occurs during True Bruin Welcome, is one of the campus’s largest community service events and supports UCLA’s strategic goal of deepening the university’s engagement with the diverse communities of Los Angeles.

This year, the 16th iteration of Volunteer Day, approximately 2,000 people — new and continuing students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and community members — fanned out to nearly 40 sites across the region, from the Los Angeles National Cemetery in Westwood, where hundreds of volunteers honored veterans by helping clean headstones, to the downtown Union Rescue Mission, where Bruins prepared and served meals. Other projects included painting and beautification at schools and parks, the distribution of free clothes and school supplies, and gardening and sustainability efforts with community partners.

Launched by the UCLA Volunteer Center in 2009, the large-scale event has to date contributed nearly 355,000 hours of service to Southern California and beyond, involving approximately 60,000 volunteers.

Volunteer Day — Students gather near De Neve Plaza and prepare to head out to more nearly 40 community service projects
David Esquivel/UCLA
Students gather near De Neve Plaza and prepare to head out to more nearly 40 community service projects.
Volunteer Day — Students clear brush at the jane b semel HCI Community Garden on campus
David Esquivel/UCLA
Students clear brush at the jane b semel HCI Community Garden on campus. The garden, part of UCLA’s Healthy Campus Initititive, provides a space for the UCLA community to grow healthy food and foster education about urban gardening practices.
Volunteer Day — Wendy Slusser (far right), associate vice provost for the Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center at UCLA, and Interim Chancellor Darnell Hunt (center) work with a student to plant at the jane b semel HCI Community Garden.
David Esquivel/UCLA
Wendy Slusser (far right), associate vice provost for the Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center at UCLA, and Interim Chancellor Darnell Hunt (center) work with a student to plant at the jane b semel HCI Community Garden.
Volunteer Day — Six students standing side by side on campus, preparing to volunteer.
David Esquivel/UCLA
Bruins prepare to volunteer.
Volunteer Day — Two UCLA volunteers clean veterans’ headstones at the Los Angeles National Cemetery.
David Esquivel/UCLA
Two UCLA volunteers clean veterans’ headstones at the Los Angeles National Cemetery.