Groups

  • University of Arkansas

  • Student Engagement

  • Volunteer Action Center

  • Freshman Service Program

  • Yvonne Richardson Community Center

  • Launchpad for Service

  • UARK Foundation: Full Circle Food Pantry

  • Full Circle Food Pantry Garden

  • Impacts

    High School Programming Contest 2024

    Moved remaining drinks, pizza, cutlery, coolers, etc to storage. Idk what happened to the large fruit trays (maybe everybody ate it all). Picked up remaining trash left in competition and award rooms (thankfully was minimal trash, nothing like bleachers after a game). Got to take home some leftover pizza. Great experience overall.

    Gave 1.50 hours on 03/09/2024 with University of Arkansas
    High School Programming Contest 2024

    Proctoring could be a bit boring at times - I was only needed twice over the three-hour competition timeframe, one of which was a keyboard issue. I did have to also get a tech person because a non-competition computer went to sleep (and effectively required logging out) after displaying the leaderboard despite autorefreshing, which was fixed by logging back in and playing a "Live" youtube video that doesn't end (like a "fireplace crackling" video). There was basically no training - just "no printed materials (they had online documentation references), take up phones right before the competition (teams' coaches and occasionally judges took care of that, not us), and here's the judge's room if somebody needs question clarification but not programming help". Two proctors per room was perfect in my opinion because one person was always free to help somebody and still maintain one person in the room.

    One team got finished with all 8 programming questions - it was cool to see how they coded their logic after they submitted all 8 questions. I think only two or three of the ~16 teams that made it on the leaderboard finished all 8 questions. There were 24 teams registered but I don't think I saw 24 teams there. After adjusting to an equal number of 20-minute Incorrect Submission penalties, the top two teams were about 19 seconds away from each other in the times they finished, which was crazy to me.

    Some inputs would overflow some datatypes, so that was an interesting issue for at least one team to debug - switching to Python fixed that issue. On a different question, using Python and/or a slow algorithm caused the computational time limit to exceed. This was the 1st year for Python3 to be included along with Java and C++.

    Great experience overall.

    Gave 2.00 hours on 03/09/2024 with University of Arkansas
    High School Programming Contest 2024
    High School Programming Contest 2024
    High School Programming Contest 2024
    Full Circle Food Pantry- Pantry Prepping!

    It was fun! I counted and sorted various objects (like rice and feminine hygiene pads), then listed them to one of the more-senior volunteers so they can write it in their food pantry database. Everything was inside (out of the cold and constant rain), and there were ChickFilA nuggets delivered, along with refrigerated cheese sticks and Capri Suns. The volunteers were nice, it wasn't too cramped, there were exactly enough people (in my opinion), and the overall atmosphere was happy. 10/10 and I would do again. This was worth walking in the rain.

    It's right by the Union garage, but outside of it on the bottom level right next to the road that goes behind the dorms at the top of the hill. I don't think I ever would've found it if somebody didn't take me there.

    Gave 2.00 hours on 10/28/2023
    MADD Kick-Off RSVP

    Extremely wet and cold with little to do to stay warm (playing cornhole). Had it not been raining hard and freezing, I could have run some laps around the parking lot. The gazebo/building was out of the rain at least. I also brought an extra weather-resistant jacket, which helped a ton.
    I was planning on walking the one or two miles through the rain to my volunteering opportunity after eating the advertised lunch food at the kickoff, but thankfully another volunteer took me to my volunteering opportunity.
    There were cold hashbrowns and a few treenut energy bars (so, only cold hashbrowns if you're allergic to the bars) leftover from the first section of the "kickoff", but that was the only protein/energy until the food was delivered. Actual food (I don't know what the food was because I didn't eat that food because I left in another volunteer's car) arrived right before I had to leave to go to my volunteering opportunity that started at 11AM. Going to this kickoff was not worth the free shirt. I should've not come to the kickoff and instead just gone straight to my volunteer opportunity, wasting two fewer hours getting up early to just idly stand and be entirely unproductive. Had the food arrived at least 30 minutes before the volunteering opportunity started (so I could have a chance to eat and then walk to my volunteer opportunity), it would have been fine, even walking in the rain (since I'd be staying warm by moving). The food arrival time may not have been in anybody's control, but the food is the reason I came to it in the first place. My expectation was that food would be available at the kickoff's start time (10AM), I could hurriedly eat, then walk to my volunteer assignment. As a suggestion, mention when the food and other advertised materials are supposed to be at the kickoff for the next time so volunteers can plan accordingly, based on parking and their specific volunteer assignment.
    The volunteer who kindly drove me prevented lateness from being a large issue, but it would've been an issue otherwise. I left with that volunteer because I was just informed there would be food delivered to where I would be volunteering, meaning I wouldn't have to wait on food being delivered to the kickoff and be very late to my volunteer assignment.
    Also, this occurred on a day where vehicles were restricted by UA parking after either 12 or 1 or 2PM because of a basketball game, so driving wasn't an option for everyone. Also, not every volunteer has a car or somebody to ride with.
    Also, the address for the Razorback Gardens does not show up correctly on Apple Maps when entering "1361 Nolan Richardson Dr", so allow an extra 45 minutes of walking time or 10 minutes of extra driving time for finding it. The Razorback Gardens are actually right by Lot 56, and only relatively close to the Stadium the address brings you to.

    tl;dr
    It was cold and rainy, and food didn't arrive early enough for volunteers who had to walk to their volunteer activity, making the kickoff a waste of time for me and possibly others too.
    If you're a volunteer in the future, don't go to a kickoff event at the Razorback Gardens unless it's not raining, you have a car, it's not a gameday (requires car removal from game lots), and aren't concerned about being late for your specific volunteer activity given searching time and time spent on waiting for food.

    Gave 2.00 hours on 10/28/2023
    Tri Cycle Farms Fall Clean Up with RFR

    Attached are (basically) before photos for the mulch laying and one photo for where we ate lunch.

    All the volunteers split into two groups, one that bucketed mulch and laid it out on the ground (I helped flatten out the ground with a rake so the mulch wouldn't be too uneven, but I only realized I should do that about halfway through), and the other group pulled sizable weeds from the garden area. Everybody was taught to fill a bucket to the top with mulch, lay it out where there's no mulch, and stomp on it, creating an even-thickness area of mulch. We had spread two large piles of mulch by the very end, though there was a little bit of one pile left (3 wheelbarrow's worth).
    All of the volunteers at one point were gathered in the chicken coop and, those who wanted, were taught how to hold the chickens. Some breeds of chickens are not friendly/sociable, but these were. Chickens have a bone that goes under their, what I'd call a stomach, and that's where you hold them. Chickens also appreciate you holding their grass food for them because they don't have thumbs to rip apart their grass food.

    Gave 5.50 hours on 10/22/2022 with University of Arkansas
    Tabling at the NWA Home Show 10am-noon
    UARK Mid-Morning ReStore Volunteer Event

    Don't volunteer on game days nor concert days, choose ANY other day... Traffic is stupid and you will be stuck for literal hours.
    Anyway, it was satisfying cleaning up the warehouse-like building, the staff are very friendly, and my volunteering experience was very enjoyable. Though, there aren't many places to sit, even to work on stuff like labeling, packaging, and moving house materials (e.g. ceiling tiles, window blinds).

    Gave 9.00 hours on 04/23/2022 with Volunteer Action Center, University of Arkansas