Pitt students complete DIY service projects

In less time than it takes to catch a Cathedral elevator, students transformed ripped up jeans, construction paper and old T-shirts into blankets, letters and rugs Thursday at the PittServes Do-It-Yourself Service Fair.

A handful of students gathered in the Kurtzman Room on Thursday evening from 7 to 9 p.m. to complete low-commitment, short service projects like writing letters to hospitalized children and making rugs for abused puppies. PittServes, a club that works to engage students in community service, hosted the event to make service accessible and convenient for students.

“You don’t actually have to go to the soup kitchen or the homeless shelter,” Peter Zheng, a PittServes Students Civic Engagement Council member, said of the DIY service projects.

Using donations from Pitt students and community members for project materials, the fair consisted of four projects, each lasting between 15 and 30 minutes. PittServes will mail the creations to nonprofits like Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and the Ronald McDonald House as early as Friday.

Zheng, a sophomore with five majors, said the beauty of DIY service projects lies in how quick and easy they can be while still producing an impact on the community.

“We always get a thank-you note back,” Zheng said, speaking of the handmade cards PittServes sends to breast cancer patients across the country. “It feels really good.”

For council member Rachel Lauver, the convenience of DIY projects is important to engage the undergraduate community.

“We operate, as college students, based on convenience,” Lauver said while crafting a penguin out of construction paper. “Making service convenient makes it easier to get people involved.”

PittServes will mail Lauver’s penguin, along with a pile of other Valentine’s Day cards made at the fair, on the February holiday.

“I think of it as sending smiles and hugs,” Lauver said of the cards. “These [cards] can be uplifting and show that someone’s got your back.”

Sophomore political science major Dani Henkel made Valentine’s Day cards as a way of connecting with the hospital patients.

“I imagine that it feels as though someone is thinking about them,” Henkel said about the recipients. “[Giving] these cards makes them feel like they’re having a normal Valentine’s Day.”

Henkel, a member of service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, chose to attend the PittServes event because of its versatility.

“There are often service events that focus on a specific cause,” Henkel said. “I liked that I could contribute to a bunch of different projects and do it all in one place.”

The service fair, according to Zheng, gave Pitt students a chance to give back to their community not just by donating goods, but by offering emotional support.

“This month — especially at Pitt — we’ve been focusing on mental health,” Zheng said. “Emotional support is really important. It can change someone’s day, month or even life.”