Last Thursday, Christopher Newport University held its 9th Annual Day One of Service for 400 freshmen who are part of the school’s President’s Leadership Program. Those students along with an additional 60 faculty and staff site leaders visited more than 50 local schools and non-profit partners to learn about the area and the missions of our partners, as well as hear about long term volunteer opportunities. They also completed simple community-requested projects. CNU calls it Day One of Service to emphasize that this is the first introduction to a four year commitment to getting to know and serve our community. President's Leadership Program students are required to complete 100 hours of community service before graduation.

Day One of Service is part of a broader university effort led by Christopher Newport's Center for Community Engagement that includes all students. All incoming freshmen attended an introductory community engagement session last week and many students who are not in the President's Leadership Program attended the Center's Intro to CNU Engage event held on campus. These events and activities are designed to encourage all CNU students to engage in public service here and around the world.