Kellogg Cares Day gives back to the community
By Lucy King
Kellogg Cares Day is a long-standing tradition (11 years running!) for the Kellogg community. The event is always a highlight of the year as it allows Kellogg students, faculty and alumni the opportunity to come together and volunteer in the Evanston and Chicago community.
This year, I had the great pleasure of leading the Kellogg Cares Day executive committee. We had a fantastic team of nine students and JVs who participated in the planning of the event. While the goal every year is to increase participation, we had lofty ambitions of getting more than 500 Kellogg community members to participate.
For four months we worked with volunteer organizations, planning logistics, raising awareness of the event and getting our classmates excited about the giving their time to the community where they live.
All of the hard work paid off when we had more than 600 volunteers sign up to participate for the event.
Despite rainy, cold weather, we had a fantastic day volunteering across the area. Service projects varied, including packing weekend nutrition bags for elementary school students, consulting projects at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and performing habitat restoration.
Overall we served 28 different organizations across the city, and it was amazing to see that even a half-day of service could make a huge impact on the organization.
Many students commented that they loved the opportunity to volunteer alongside their friends, and we hope that Kellogg Cares Day will continue to create a way for students to connect outside of the classroom while making an impact in their community.
I feel extremely fortunate to have been able to lead and participate in Kellogg Cares Day. The event taught me a couple of things.
- First, my peers at Kellogg are incredibly giving individuals. It was amazing to see how many people came to give their time, energy and talents to these organizations
- Second, I learned that there are tons of opportunities within close reach of our community that can benefit from even a few hours of volunteering.
Given the excitement and dedication we saw across the Kellogg community this year, I hope we will continue to see the commitment to service grow in the coming years. I can’t wait to see what Kellogg Cares Day looks like on its 20th anniversary!
Lucy King is currently a student in Kellogg’s Full-Time One-Year MBA program, where she is focusing on marketing. Prior to Kellogg, Lucy spent four years at General Mills in sales. After graduation she will be transitioning into brand management.