LMU Ends 'Week of Service' by Serving Meals to Thousands at Midnight Mission

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Feb 22, 2011, 01:47 ET

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hundreds of students, alumni, faculty and staff from Loyola Marymount University ended a weeklong series of service projects Saturday by serving a hot meal to 2,000 homeless men, women and children at the Midnight Mission in downtown Los Angeles.

The event came on the last day of the university's Week of Service, which was held as part of LMU's inauguration celebration for its new president, David. W. Burcham. Other projects included hosting community cleanups at local schools, volunteering at hospitals, and helping out at dozens of nonprofits in Los Angeles.

"Too often, the inauguration of a new president is seen only as a celebration for the campus," said Burcham. "But we wanted to share this occasion with the rest of the city and highlight who we are as an institution and our commitment to public service."

Service to others is an essential element of LMU's mission, and every year members of the university's student body, faculty and alumni volunteer thousands of hours to nonprofit organizations around Los Angeles. But this Inauguration Service Week is special.

LMU volunteers racked up more than 5,500 hours participating in dozens of service projects, including painting and construction at the Heart of Los Angeles afterschool youth center, making Valentine's Day cards for patients at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, collecting care packages for service members overseas, and tutoring students at Lennox Middle School, among others.

The service week culminated with the "President's Day of Service" on Saturday, with four spotlight events, including the barbecue at the Midnight Mission. A full list of projects is available at http://www.lmu.edu/resources/inauguration/serviceweek.htm.

About Loyola Marymount University

Located between the Pacific Ocean and downtown Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive university offering 56 major programs, 38 master's degrees and a doctoral degree in education from four colleges, two schools and Loyola Law School. Founded in 1911, LMU is ranked third in "Best Universities with Master's Programs in the West" by U.S. News & World Report. LMU is one of the largest Catholic institutions of higher education on the West Coast with nearly 5,500 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate and law students. For more LMU news and events, please visit www.lmu.edu/news.

SOURCE Loyola Marymount University