Global Youth Service Day at the University of Nebraska-Omaha
Friday, April 20, 2012
Check-in begins at 8:30 AM
Register Online Today!
Global Youth Service Day is the largest youth service day and engagement project around the world; over 100 countries participate! Global Youth Service Day brings UNO students, K-12 students, and members of the Omaha community together with local nonprofit partners to serve and learn throughout the day.
This year, UNO's 7th Annual Global Youth Service Day, will take place on Friday, April 20, 2012. Check in begins at 8:30 AM at both the UNO Milo Bail Student Center and Turning Point at 3223 North 45th Street, Omaha, NE.
Students will have the opportunity to participate in service activities and learn about conservation, preservation, homelessness, recycling, beautification, and some of our world's most critical issues while participating in a hike for refugees on Turning Point's campus in conjunction with Hike to Help Refugees.
- Who Can Participate?
People of all ages and abilities are encouraged to serve.
- What Are We doing for Others?
Fun service activities and volunteer opportunities within our community!
- Why Volunteer?
Meet new friends and reconnect with old ones.
Make a difference in our community.
Use your skills in a productive way and develop new ones.
A positive experience that can be placed on your resume.
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Nine years ago, Margaret Hahn along with members of Omaha, Nebraska’s Omaha Yoga School, created the Hike to Help Refugees to support the refugee cause and life-saving work of the UN Refugee Agency by raising funds for refugees from some of the most war-torn regions in the world.
As shelter is often the primary need of refugees, Hike to Help Refugees has used the funds to provide all-season tents, which serve as homes and classrooms for refugees in places like Afghanistan and Darfur.
The first hike, held in May 2003, had fourteen supporters hiking along the Wabash Trace Nature Trail, a historic sixty-three mile resurfaced railroad route running through Blanchard, Missouri to Council Bluffs, Iowa. Using a sponsorship model to raise funds, hikers garnered $4,352 to provide tents for refugees.
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Supporters hike while sporting UNHCR apparel during
the 2009 Hike to Help Refugees. © Margaret Hahn
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Recently, the group expanded to five hikes: three in Iowa, one in Wisconsin and one in Nebraska. Each hike is unique, incorporating different aspects including musical performances, refugee film nights, media appearances, auctions, and community festivals.
Since the hike's inception in 2003, it has raised over $100,000 to support refugees, with more than 300 hikers participating in the program--100% of the funds go directly to the shelter needs of refugee populations. Now, coming into its tenth year, the Hike to Help Refugees is the largest grassroots fundraising campaign supporting the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in the United States.
For information or to host a Hike in your area, please visit www.hiketohelprefugees.org.
A refugee’s road can be very long…take steps to make it shorter.
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