As someone who has been volunteering since high school (through United Way, World Relief Durham, and the Refugee Support Center in Carrboro), I have always valued the way service connects people. When I joined the Institute for Advanced Analytics, I was excited to learn about the IAA’s volunteer committee and signed up right away.
Throughout the year, even while balancing our busy schedules, we have pulled off some amazing initiatives together and had fun in the process!
In the summer, we started with a food drive to collect donations for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. Students came together to meet our goal, filling two boxes with canned goods to support local hunger relief organizations across the region.
In September, we kicked off a Ping Pong tournament, which I was especially excited about. We set up two leagues, one casual and one competitive, both starting with group stage games and moving into knockout rounds. Students donated money for school supplies as their entry ticket, turning a fun tournament into a meaningful volunteer initiative. Performers from each league advanced to their respective brackets in January, and the competition is just finished this week!
In October, we hosted a bake sale to raise funds for A Moment of Magic, a national nonprofit that supports medically vulnerable children and their families through hospital visits, community events, and creative programming. Committee members baked delicious goods, including pumpkin chocolate loaf and brownies, for purchase. The initiative raised $216 and ultimately reached $300 with a generous donation from an anonymous benefactor.
Before winter break, the committee hosted a “Happy Pawlidays” contest, inviting students and faculty to submit festive pet photos and vote for their favorites. Winners received certificates during the IAA holiday party. We also collected 38.6 pounds of food to donate to Feed the Pack, NC State’s on-campus food pantry.
This semester, we hosted a Habitat for Humanity ReStore event and Build event in March. If you missed the Build, there’s another one on April 17, and sign-ups are now open for students. If you haven’t signed up yet, this is your sign to join our final volunteering event!
Columnist: Sara Ahmed