Making a difference

On Saturday, April 2, 2005, the Caltech Y sponsored its annual Make a Difference Day event. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members participated in a variety of student-led volunteer projects, including light construction and painting, environmental and outdoor work, visiting the elderly, and tutoring children.

Computation and neural systems grad student Patricia Neil organized one group of Caltech students, who volunteered at the West Los Angeles VA Hospital. “We visited many of the wards in the main hospital building and two of the nursing homes, handing out small gift bags (containing simple items like toothpaste, hand lotion, mouth wash, etc.) and visiting with the veterans who served during WWII through to the present day,” she said in an e-mail. “It was both an emotionally draining and extremely rewarding day . . . we heard many great stories: from storming the beaches of France during WWII or working as a medic on the front lines during the Gulf War. It was a truly memorable experience.”

The Y provided meals for the day, ending with a barbeque dinner at Caltech for all of the participating volunteers.
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