Panther Service Day
We need YOU to help make Panther Service Day a success! We will be sending over 200 Panthers out into the community to help complete 2-hour service projects for local non-profits like Ashmore Community, Douglas Hart Nature Preserve, and Hazel Anne Farms!! Help us make our community stronger! Register by April 5 to guarantee yourself a spot!
This annual day of volunteering and service began in 2003 when EIU Student Government initiated an effort to improve the relationship between EIU students and the citizens of Charleston through the encouragement of acts of volunteerism and service in the community.
PSD 2025 will take place on Saturday, April 12 in the morning. Check-in will be at 9:15 am in McAfee North Gym. All projects will be back on campus by 12:30 pm. Transportation will be provided for most participants. See descriptions of projects below.
Individual Volunteers: CLICK HERE to register for all events! Just look for the projects that say “Panther Service Day.”
Group Volunteers (Teams of 5 volunteers or More): Please CLICK HERE to register your group today!
Panther Service Day Volunteer Options
- Master Gardeners: U of I Extension Master Gardeners invite EIU volunteers to help prepare the Plant-A-Row Garden at the Sarah Bush Lincoln Hospital for another vegetable planting season. In August 2023, EIU new student volunteers assisted with rebuilding the garden site which enabled 1400 pounds of fresh produce to be donated to area distribution programs that serve families with food insecurity. This total included the EIU Food Pantry receiving over 150 lbs. of last season’s harvest. Volunteers are encouraged to dress for working in a garden and wear sturdy shoes.
- Aikman Wildlife: Volunteers will be helping with projects including preparing for the summer season and doing some heavy manual labor including: putting flat landscaping stones on pallets, taking down some old fencing and boards and a few other small landscaping projects.. If you have work gloves, bring them with you. Some will be provided.
- Camp New Hope: Helping prepare for the Easter Egg event in the afternoon and other projects as time permits.
- 5 Mile House: Removing dead foliage from the butterfly garden, spreading mulch around the trees and garden paths, doing spring cleaning in the historic house and the barn, picking up the ever-present sticks from the lawn.
- Salvation Army: Volunteers will be helping with a variety of projects including: working in the thrift store (hanging clothes, cleaning, tagging, stocking shelves), helping in the food pantry (stocking shelves, rotating stock, cleaning), and outside helping with yearwork and spring clean up of the grounds.
- Community Aid - Ashmore: Ashmore is a small and rural community located just east of Charleston. Although small, Ashmore is full of hardworking, community-focused people. You will be working outside planting flowers, cleaning up the local park, painting picnic benches, helping wash the fire trucks, and more!
- Douglas Hart Nature Center: Projects include: pulling/weeding/digging invasive species like Garlic Mustard. Please dress to be outdoors and get slightly dirty, long pants are recommended. Please bring a reusable water bottle if possible. All other materials/tools provided.
- Embarras Volunteer Stewards: Volunteers will be removing invasive plant species at Lakeview Park. *Since in town, students will carpool to project.
- Fit-2-Serve: Students will be clearing garden beds of cover crop. They would also be prepping beds ( adding compost and preparing for planting). We will also be weeding beds and possibly planting in the garden beds depending on weather. Tennis shoes and dirty clothes recommended.
- Grand Prairie Friends: Grand Prairie Friends is working to restore bat habitat on our property by planting native trees. To give our baby trees the best chance of success, we need to remove the less desirable trees that grow easily in our plantings. Join us for a morning in the sun while clipping growing saplings and helping to conserve beautiful Illinois nature! No experience necessary. Long pants and closed toed shoes required.
- Hazel Anne Farm: is a local farm that helps support organizations dealing with hunger, and food insecurity, which is why we like to help them out when we can! Volunteers will be spreading mulch and prepping for the summer growing season. Closed-toed shoes and work/winter gloves are strongly recommended!
- Whiteside Garden: Projects include: cleaning garden beds and paths (raking, weeding, mulching, and similar) and removing invasive species. Please dress to be outdoors and get slightly dirty, long pants are recommended. Please bring a reusable water bottle if possible. All other materials/tools provided.
- Standing Stone: Volunteers will be helping sort donations. *Since in town, students will carpool to project.
- Lincoln Log Cabin: Volunteers will be helping prepare for the easter egg event that afternoon, organizing the costume closet, and manual outdoor labor such as pulling weeks, clearing brush and trail maintenance.
