Thousands of Walden University Volunteers Make a Difference During Global Days of Service

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/-- More than 6,600 volunteers from Walden University's worldwide community of students, alumni, faculty and staff, along with their friends, family and colleagues, came together during this year's Global Days of Service to participate in 57 projects in the United States and 60 projects around the globe. The weeklong international event, held from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6, impacted more than 60,000 people who will benefit from the work of the Walden volunteers on these projects.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110920/MM71012-b )

"Global Days of Service provided an opportunity for Walden University staff, along with our families and friends, to serve our San Antonio community together. We chose the nonprofit agency Habitat for Humanity and worked alongside the homeowners and their families who are required to deposit 'sweat equity' hours," said Kathy V. González, Walden enrollment advisor and Global Days of Service project leader. "Working with the homeowners was an honor, especially knowing the years of memories that will be created in their homes is truly a blessing for future generations."

In addition to working on the Habitat for Humanity project, the Walden community led and contributed to projects such as assisting the Ronald McDonald House in Baltimore and Los Angeles, volunteering at a library in Gdansk, Poland, and participating in a parental involvement fair in the Bronx, N.Y. Other efforts included a school-based health and hygiene project in Nigeria; helping at food banks in Brooklyn, Houston and Orlando; and building safety kits for children with severe autism.

"Since losing my mom to cancer, I've been looking for positive ways to honor her memory. This year, Walden's Global Days of Service project in San Diego provided me with the opportunity to make my project come to life," said Dr. Sandra Weinstein Bever, College of Health Sciences assessment coordinator and contributing faculty member in Walden's Ph.D. in Public Health program. "As a project leader, I organized 'Knitters for Hope' to bring people together to knit scarves for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Participants, ages 8 to 80, took part in the event creating more than 50 handmade scarves for Moores Cancer Center in La Jolla, Calif. I'm so pleased to know that our Hope scarves will bring comfort to cancer patients in our community."

Walden students, alumni, faculty and staff members bring Walden's mission to life through research, conferences and service projects focused on effecting positive social change. Walden encourages its community members to make a difference throughout the year by finding volunteer opportunities in the Walden Service Network, a database of thousands of projects around the world in need of volunteers.

About Walden University

For more than 40 years, Walden University has supported working professionals in achieving their academic goals and making a greater impact in their professions and their communities. Today, more than 50,000 students from all 50 states and more than 145 countries are pursuing their bachelor's, master's or doctoral degrees online at Walden. The university provides students with an engaging educational experience that connects them with expert faculty and peers around the world. Walden is the flagship online university in the Laureate International Universities network—a global network of more than 72 campus-based and online universities in 30 countries.

Walden offers more than 75 degree programs with more than 385 specializations and concentrations. Areas of study include health sciences, counseling, human services, management, psychology, education, public health, nursing, public administration and information technology. For more information, visit www.WaldenU.edu. Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, www.ncahlc.org.

SOURCE Walden University