Service Raleigh, an annual citywide day of service, was held Saturday.

The 13th annual installment of the event brought together many campus groups and students to help the community.

Victoria Frena, a freshman in criminology, said she participated in the event for the first time with her sorority, Chi Omega.

“One of our girls is big on volunteering so when she heard about it she said she had a really good idea for our sorority and our president decided we should do it,” Frena said.

Breanne Long, sophomore in biological engineering and Chi Omega community service chair, said volunteering at Service Raleigh has become a tradition with the sorority.

“It was an optional service event but several girls had to go out of town or they had work, but it was encouraged certainly and we had about 46 girls attend,” Long said. “It’s an event that we have participated in for several years now and I’m the community service chair so I signed us up about a month ago and I registered us as a group to attend and volunteer at a time.”

Nathan Maher, a senior in mechanical engineering, said his club, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) also participated.

“We got to pick up trash around Lake Raleigh,” Maher said. “We actually had people on canoes, going around and picking it up around the lake. It was a really nice day and I met a lot of people I hadn’t met before.”

Although it was a lot of work, Frena said she enjoyed representing the University by volunteering and doing good.

“It was mandatory for our sorority but it is also a great way to give back to the community and volunteer,” Frena said. “It was a lot of fun because all of your friends do it and stuff.”

Frena said her group focused on the landscaping of an area school.

“We went to an elementary school,” Frena said. “My group dug trenches and did the whole entrance flower bed by digging all the plants up and replanting them.”

Frena said the parents of students who attend the elementary school were extremely helpful during the project.

“There were parents there as well to lead little groups all over,” Frena said. “Some people would like put mulch down to make it a lot nicer for the children, and a lot of the parents were really excited that we were there.”

The biggest reward, Frena said, was the appreciation of parents.

“They kept coming up to us and saying how they were so excited to have us there and how much it meant to them,” Frena said. “They kept telling up how they were so proud to call it their school.”

Long said it was a great experience because the difference they made was evident.

“I think it was a good experience just because it was so tangible,” Long said. “We worked a elementary school, planting painting benches, etc, and when we got there it was looking really dry and dead because of the winter. When we left it was obvious the difference that we had made, so it was so satisfying because it was very tangible.”

Frena said she would really encourage other students to become involved with Service

Raleigh and that she would definitely consider volunteering again.

“I definitely would, especially if you have a group of people to do it,” Frena said. “It’s like a bonding time and it’s not like it’s hard or anything, its just a few hours out of the day.”