By Daisy Figueroa & Jordan Ortega |Staff writers| 

Almost 700 students gathered for the fifth annual Coyote Cares Day to help organizations through out the Inland Empire.

The event, hosted by the Office of Community Engagement (OCE) was held Saturday, April 29, as a part of their celebration for National Volunteer Week.

“We want to be a good neighbor to the community,” says Diane Podolske, Director of the OCE. “The community gives a lot to us, so this is our way to pay them back.”

The event is meant to help the local community support CSUSB day in and day out.

Students met at the Commons, where they were greeted with breakfast and music.

An array of buses, packed with students and staff, left campus to different locations throughout the Inland Empire.

The San Bernardino City Mission, Salvation Army Emergency Shelter and Central City Lutheran Mission were some of the locations visited.

Some tasks that student volunteers helped with were planting, gardening and painting.

After volunteering, students returned to campus to enjoy lunch with their fellow ‘yotes, sharing their experiences of the day.

The event is a great opportunity for everyone including the volunteers and participants.

Students can participate and earn volunteering hours, which many students can use to enhance their resumes.

Coyote Cares Day also holds social value with a lot of participants.

“It created a sense of community between everyone, not just within the school but also outside in the community as a whole.” said second time Coyote Cares attendee, Charlotte Hua.

95,000 hours of community service was given back to the community last year by CSUSB.

Every year more organizations are joining Coyote Cares Day in an effort to help the community.

The event started with 200 volunteers in its first year and has grown to welcome almost 700 students this year.

“All of our students will get a baccalaureate degree and they’ll give back to the community, developing that habit of giving back through activities like Coyote Cares Day,” said President Tomás Morales, who has attended the event every year since its inception. We live here; this is our home. We’re part of this community and this community is a part of Cal State San Bernardino.”

If you missed this year’s event there is still plenty of opportunity for students to experience the joy of volunteering and giving back to our community.

The Office of Community Engagement offers opportunity for service throughout the year at various times to fit even the busiest students schedules.

“We want students to understand the lesson that whether you’re in school or you’re out of school, everyone has a role to play to make the community better,” Podolske says.