When buckets of donated house paint arrived at Mother's Hug Daycare, 219 W. Grand River Ave. in Lansing, a dozen shivering, but resilient, student volunteers sprang into action.
The group covered the building's flaking gray paint — and sometimes each other — with a soft yellow.
The project was part of Saturday's "Into the Streets" program, organized by the MSU Center for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement. Armed with rakes and paintbrushes, about 150 volunteers converged on 20 different locations in East Lansing and Lansing to paint, clean, organize and decorate and lend a helping hand.
Now in its 13th year, the program partnered with local service organizations and students.
Program adviser Andrea Hart, a graduate assistant at the Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement, said volunteers come from a variety of experience levels.
Hart participated in the volunteer event for three years during her undergraduate study at MSU.
"It's been interesting for me to be on this side of the organization because I used to be one of the student coordinators," she said.
"I'm proud of them," Hart said. "They work very hard."
Program chairwoman Sarah Baker, a landscape architecture junior, said Saturday's program went well despite a slightly lower turnout than in previous years.
"A lot of people really enjoyed it and felt that they had done some good," Baker said.
Education senior Amy Yousif, a student leader for MSU's Multi-Racial Unity Living Experience, acted as site leader to the 22 MRULE members who repainted two houses in Lansing's Old Town. It marked Yousif's seventh time volunteering for "Into the Streets."
Although it's difficult for students to change "the huge things that are going on in the world," this event gives them a chance to address local issues and create positive change in their own backyard, Yousif said.
"We talk a lot in our meetings about issues around the world, and this is our opportunity to go out and do something about it," Yousif said. "It's so inspiring to see so many people taking a day out of their busy schedules. Instead of sitting around (they're) getting out there and doing something positive."
