Advocacy Week encourages underclassmen volunteers

The Residence Halls Association is pushing for student involvement in the community during its second annual Advocacy Week.

The RHA-sponsored event began Wednesday and will run through Thursday.

The week of events is a dorm-wide push for volunteering with local organizations such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington and Fairview Elementary School. Students are encouraged to compete in fundraisers, competitions and discussions.

“The goal is to highlight the community service and philanthropic events that already go on at IU,” Amanda King, RHA director of philanthropy said. “We want to show the Bloomington community that IU cares about the town.”

Advocacy Week’s success last year, King said, prompted RHA to sponsor the event again.

“We hope that when students get involved one time, it would spark interest at a larger level,” King said. “It is important to get your toes wet first to potentially do greater things.”
Alysha Balog, RHA director of public relations, said the week targets residence halls for a strategic reason.

“A large portion of the residence halls are underclassmen who might be looking for ways to assist their community,” Balog said. “We are trying to increase their knowledge of philanthropic opportunities and encourage others to give back.”