The ASU volunteer group Devils in Disguise gathered students from all four campuses Saturday for the 13th annual community volunteer program.
Devils in Disguise is one of the largest student community service organizations on campus, said global health and justice studies senior Holly Vins, chair of the student service coalition.
This specific volunteer day, sponsored by the Changemaker Central organization, was the first time Devils in Disguise involved all four campuses. It takes place every March and helps students get involved in the Tempe and Phoenix communities.
“It's a great way to show that ASU students are able to connect with the community,” Vins said. “We're not just some school separated from the community, but we can go out and improve the community as well.”
Global studies sophomore Kaitlyn Fitzgerald, student director of Changemaker Central, spoke to the volunteers on the Tempe campus in front of the Student Services building before sending them off to the service locations.
“You can go out to the community; you can learn about the challenges we face, be inspired by those overcoming them and continue working in the community to make a difference,” she said to the students.
The event brought in close to 1,000 students from all four campuses who registered through Devils in Disguise. Volunteers chose from nearly 30 different locations in the communities to volunteer at.
Locations were determined through different partnerships in Phoenix and Tempe such as the Phoenix Children's Hospital, the Boys & Girls Club and Central Arizona Health services.
Students could volunteer for one of these locations to help pick oranges, pick up trash, pull weeds, organize clothes in a shelter and more.
One event involved students helping clean up after the the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Phoenix 2013 Muscle Walk event Saturday morning at Tempe Town Lake.
Students helped the Association pick up trash, break down chairs and tables, and load materials into trucks.
Marketing and communication sophomore Kayla Kuzniar, a volunteer at the Muscular Dystrophy Association Walk site, said students worked together to help the Association and to show respect to the community.
“I thought it went really well today, even though it ended a little early," she said. "We still made a pretty good impact on them."
This was Kuzniar's second year volunteering for Devil's in Disguise. She said volunteering has helped her realize and motivate others to see how attending ASU is not only about getting an education but also creating connections and helping the surrounding communities.
“It's so important for people to give back to a community that does so much for us ... and to show our community respect,” she said.
Vins said it's important for ASU students to get involved in volunteer programs such as Devils in Disguise to help and learn more about the communities in which they live.
“It's not just about just learning in a classroom,” she said. “We learn about the problems in our community, and it's important to be aware of these problems.”
Vins said although community service and helping others is the lead mission of Devils in Disguise, the volunteer organization strives to help students reach out and meet each other.
“(Devils in Disguise) is a great way to get people passionate about the service,” Vins said. “But it's also a great way for students to connect with one another.”
Reach the reporter at wpogden@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @whitneyparis10
