Wichita State’s Community Service Board (CSB) demonstrated its passion for the Wichita community on Thursday in collaboration with the Shocker Neighborhood and McAdams Neighborhood Association. CSB volunteers met with neighborhood leaders from the area early in the morning to tackle a yearly cleaning project that helps residents get rid of unwanted possessions without the prices of city dumps.

“Today, we are going to drive through the neighborhood with a trash truck and pick up the things that (residents) don’t want anymore,” Hailey Cutting, sophomore and CSB chair, said.  

The neighborhood association notifies residents beforehand to put trash on the curb, but there’s a catch — if people want their trash picked up, they have to come out and help load items onto the truck.

“I’m not afraid to knock,” Janet Radig, neighborhood president, said. “We can’t keep giving, people need to help too.”

Radig has led her community on the neighborhood association for fifteen years. Clean-up events, block parties and the general promotion of neighborliness have led to major improvements in the area.  

“I want to see us taking care of ourselves,” Radig said. “It’s about helping each other and keeping our neighborhood organized.”

Projects like this are right up CSB’s alley. Working closely with the Shocker Neighborhood Coalition, this university organization offers community service opportunities to students and strengthens the bond between the university and community.

“We are the biggest community service organization on campus,” Cutting said. “Not only do we connect with the community, but it gives the community a chance to get connected with us as well.”

Cutting joined CSB in an effort to become more involved on campus and fulfill pre-med requirements. Her role is to connect eager volunteers with service projects, usually headed by the Shocker Neighborhood Coalition.

“I love how collaborative we are,” Cutting said. “Our mission is to meet people and help them at the same time.”

Students at Wichita State can get involved with CSB through VolunteerICT, a website all students have free access to with their university login. CSB holds weekly events and meetings that students can keep up with on their web page at wichita.edu/csb.