Making an Impact: UIndy’s Class of 2028 Starts Their Journey with Service for Impact Day

Written by Troi Watts

The Class of 2028 marked the beginning of their journeys as Greyhounds with the first-ever Service for Impact Day on Saturday, August 24. More than 150 students, faculty and staff volunteered at more than a dozen Indianapolis non-profit organizations, including Bethany Community Gardens, Exodus Refugee Immigration Inc., Indy Parks, and Hope for Tomorrow.

Service for Impact Day is made possible thanks to the support of the Office of Student Affairs and is set to become an annual tradition, encouraging students to engage in meaningful acts of service that go beyond the classroom. It brings the UIndy motto, ‘Education for Service,’ to life, especially for the hundreds of new freshmen who just arrived on campus. By using their education to drive real change, students are making an impact that goes far beyond appearances—it’s about creating lasting, rewarding experiences that truly make a difference.

“Whether it’s making mats for the homeless to sleep on, picking up trash around our community, or making meaningful cards to support grieving families who have lost a loved one, we want our first-year students to know that serving others is what being a Greyhound is all about,” said Marianna Foulkrod, the director of the Center for Service-Learning and Community Engagement. “From the very first week on campus, we want our students to learn compassion and a global mindset that must be championed both inside and outside the four walls of the classroom.”

Desmonae Thomas ‘26 (Psychology) was a part of the group that traveled to Exodus Refugee Immigration’s supply warehouse, which stores essential items that refugees coming to Indiana may not have on-hand. Desmonae and her fellow Greyhounds helped organize clothing donations to prepare for distribution. 

“I just love helping,” said Thomas. “If I can be of service in any aspect, anywhere, I’ll do it.”

Service for Impact Day is just the latest opportunity Thomas has seized. Since coming to UIndy, Thomas has found countless opportunities to dive into her passion for service and make a meaningful impact in the community.

“Before coming to UIndy, I was actually very introverted and didn’t really get out much,” Thomas explained. “So my goal coming to college was to be more active, whether on campus or outside of campus. During my freshman year, I got involved with a few different organizations. My sophomore year I volunteered at the Horizon House, and I saw how happy it made the people who came in to see that there was someone there who understood, who wanted to hear their story, and wanted to be able to help them make a change in their life.”

While Thomas was assisting Exodus Refugee Immigration, other groups of UIndy students were spread out across the city of Indianapolis, participating in a variety of service projects. Students at Bethany Community Gardens, which provides access to fresh vegetables to the community, helped with construction around the gardens, harvested vegetables, cleared out vegetation in closed down beds, and more.

“It is always a pleasure to have UIndy students help us at Bethany Community Gardens to provide fresh organic vegetables to families in need,” said Bruce Bye and Craig Jungemann, co-coordinators, in an email. “In our first six years we have provided over 14 tons of fresh vegetables to families in need and to our garden volunteers. UIndy students are a big part of helping us make this happen.”

The impact of these service projects is immediate and tangible—whether it’s families enjoying fresh vegetables at mealtime, new Hoosiers finding their footing in Indianapolis, or the community coming together in the local park.

“Indy Parks greatly appreciates the ongoing support from the UIndy Community Engagement Team’s Days of Service projects in helping provide us with student volunteers to help improve and beautify our Indy parks,” said Amy Anderson, Senior Manager of Community Partnerships for Indy Parks & Recreation. “We appreciate the engagement of the students providing hands-on assistance to help with much-needed maintenance improvements to help us beautify our park amenities – keeping them safer, more inviting and accessible as free community spaces.”

You can watch Greyhounds in action on Service for Impact Day in this video from Hope for Tomorrow!