Students, coordinators celebrate end of United Way’s Summer of Service

Middle school and high school students gathered at Royal Crest Lanes on Saturday afternoon to celebrate the end of the United Way Roger Hill Volunteer Center’s Summer of Service.

Ninety-four students volunteered for a total of 3,608 hours this summer doing weeklong projects at local nonprofits such as Babcock Place, the Lawrence Humane Society, Habitat for Humanity and Operation Wildlife.

This is the fourth year the United Way has organized the Summer of Service. Shelly Hornbaker, the volunteer center coordinator, said students were able to choose between participating in a variety of weeklong projects and serving as an intern for one agency.

“It gives them a sense of community,” Hornbaker said of the program. “They learn how to work in teams, it builds confidence and it just makes them feel like they are contributing.”