UCF hosted the fifth annual Knights Give Back, an initiative by Volunteer UCF.  In support of Knights Give Back, the UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management Alumni Chapter joined forces with Student Outreach Services (SOS Rosen) and Rosen Student Life to plan a service project with all bark and no bite.

Fifty students joined 18 alumni at Pet Rescue by Judy, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the rescue of cats and dogs. Volunteers assisted with the walking of dogs, painting, cleaning, playing with animals, grooming animals, organizing donated pet items, photographing animals, answering phones, office assistance and the sorting of donations for a rummage sale.

Alexis Dempsey, student outreach services director for SOS Rosen shares, “SOS provided breakfast for all the participants during Knights Give Back and we are appreciative of the large, state-of-the-art bus donated by Mears Transportation to transport volunteers to and from the Pet Rescue by Judy site.  Everyone enjoyed the bus ride!”

Shaloni Prine, coordinator of outreach and engagement for the UCF Alumni Association, shares, “The UCF Alumni Association has been working with Volunteer UCF to help promote Knights Give Back to alumni since it started.”  Last year the UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management participated by hosting a project at the Ronald McDonald House.  Prine adds, “This year, the alumni chapter was  planning their own project and learned that one was being coordinated for students by the Rosen College, and naturally we wanted the students and alumni to work together, thus the partnered service project was created.”

Prine shares that a hospitality-related service project is in the works that will incorporate both Rosen students and alumni working with Volunteer UCF for the 2012 Knights Give Back.

Dempsey adds, “After Knights Give Back, several Rosen Students from the Rosen College Apartments created a Facebook group called VUCF – Rosen Style.  This group of 35 students travels to participate in Volunteer UCF programs.”

Knights Give Back is UCF’s annual campus-wide, day of service. The goal is to bring UCF Knights together for one day to make a difference in the Central Florida community.  This year, Volunteer UCF partnered with 18 local nonprofit organizations, and participants had the option to choose their service site.