Celebrating National Volunteer Week

Celebrating National Volunteer Week

April 23, 2013

This week, people and organizations from across the country are celebrating National Volunteer Week. According to the Department of Labor, approximately 64 million volunteers in America donate 8.1 billion hours of their time to service work each month. We applaud these individuals for selflessly volunteering their time, energy and resources to helping others.

We also want to give a special thanks to our employees who take it upon themselves to organize and participate in volunteer opportunities. At Drexel University Online, we have an amazing group who are dedicated to helping others.

An annual favorite is the work put towards participating in the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House Family Meal Program. This year, several of our employees participated in this program, which is a welcomed relief for families as they return from a long and often exhausting day at the hospital. The dinner not only provides the families with a nutritious meal that might otherwise be skipped, but it also creates an opportunity for families to interact with one another, share their stories, and learn from people who are in similar situations. 

One of Drexel University Online’s volunteers, Rebecca Charuk, proudly described the dinner theme as “Fiesta Night!" The volunteers, affectionately called “Guest Chefs,” made chicken enchiladas, chicken and steak fajitas, vegetarian tortilla soup, and Spanish rice. For dessert, churros with chocolate sauce and Nutella s'more quesadillas with vanilla ice cream sweetened the night.

“It's a wonderful type of event to give the kids and their families a home cooked meal,” said Charuk. “It brings a sense of home to them, which I believe can help in the healing process. As a company, Drexel University Online fosters a culture to give back to the community in some way. This event in particular has become one of our favorite service events.”