Braving chilly weather and forgoing watching the Badgers game, more than 70 students gathered on Library Mall Saturday morning and then dispersed into the community to do service projects as part of UW-Madison's second annual Gandhi Day of Service.
The event was organized by SAIVA, a campus service organization whose name means service in Hindi and which promotes service locally and raises money for charities in developing countries.
SAIVA, in conjunction with five other student organizations, planned several different projects from which volunteers could choose, including raking leaves at various community centers, painting pumpkins for donation and making decorations for a haunted house at Henry Vilas Zoo, 702 S. Randall Ave.
Anjali Garg, a UW-Madison senior and organizer of the event, said Gandhi Day of Service is a national event that occurs on different days throughout October at campuses across the country. She said the event aims to promote more active involvement in community service.
\We use it as a means to encourage people to serve more consistently throughout their lives,"" Garg said. ""It just creates a great sense of community.""
Participants signed up for service projects and ate breakfast on Library Mall before traveling to their volunteer sites. After projects concluded, participants returned to Library Mall to sign a banner commemorating their participation in the event's second year.
UW-Madison seniors Kevin Walenta and Amanda Robinson participated on behalf of Sigma Iota Epsilon, a business management organization.
""We felt like making the community a better place,"" Walenta said, grinning as he shivered and tapped his flip-flop-clad feet.
""I want to do some physical work,"" Robinson said enthusiastically before traveling to Vilas Zoo with Walenta to decorate the haunted house.
Archana Balas, a UW-Madison sophomore, returned from her project at the zoo with a positive feeling about the day.
""Me and my friend painted a skeleton-it's kind of our masterpiece,"" she laughed. ""It's just a great way to promote volunteering, and we have a lot of fun.\
