Dear Tulane community,
One of my favorite spring traditions involves hundreds of Tulanians donning festive green and hitting the streets.
No, I’m not talking about St. Patrick’s Day.
I mean Wave of Green Day of Service, a chance for faculty and staff to come together and volunteer with a variety of local partners to improve our community.
This tradition was put on hold during the pandemic, but I’m thrilled to see it return on Thursday, April 6. With students gone for Spring Break, we are hoping more staff and faculty can participate in this fun and important effort coordinated by the Center for Public Service in partnership with the Office of HR & IE, University Communications and Marketing, and the President’s Office.
For more than 10 years, Tulane employees have demonstrated their commitment to the community by taking a day away from the office to mulch trails in City Park, hang sheetrock in disaster-impacted homes, sort and pack food for food banks and more. This year, faculty and staff will be volunteering with The Green Project, SBP, Blue Krewe, City Park, NORD Commission, and others. Volunteer opportunities at Northlake Nature Center and Habitat for Humanity ReStore on the Northshore are also available for colleagues at the National Primate Research Center.
If you’re a Tulanian, service is in your DNA, and non sebi, sed suis — not for one’s self, but for one’s own — underlies your core values. I strongly encourage deans, managers and supervisors to accommodate faculty and staff who wish to participate in this university-wide event. As past participants know, the Day of Service is a wonderful opportunity to make new connections with colleagues from different departments, schools, and campuses. After spending the morning working together at the partner sites, volunteers will celebrate together with a closing lunch at Yulman Stadium. They will then be free to enjoy the rest of the day off.
I hope that you will join your colleagues from across the university for the return of this beloved Tulane tradition. Be sure to complete the registration form by March 31 if you plan to participate.
I look forward to seeing our partner sites embraced by a wave of green as our staff and faculty spend the day supporting their important work. And if you somehow don’t have anything green in your closet, don’t worry: all volunteers will be provided with a green commemorative t-shirt.
