About 80 NDSU students are loading buses March 13 to join the annual pilgrimage of service called the "Pay It Forward Tour." The nine-day spring break volunteer road trip is supported by the Students Today Leaders Forever organization, known as STLF.
The two busloads of NDSU students will volunteer at a botanical garden, a wellness center for individuals with physical disabilities and several outdoor recreational parks. At the end of the week, the group will meet up with six other buses in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., to participate in a large group service project before they head home.
An estimated 2,000 students from more than 30 universities are participating in the effort this year. Each bus stops in five cities along the way to a destination city doing a service project and participating in leadership activities at each location.
STLF's mission is developing leadership through service, relationships and action, with the vision to energize generations of servant leaders. Students Today Leaders Forever was founded in 2003, and the NDSU chapter was established in 2006.
To date, volunteers for the national program have provided 321,000 hours of service.
As a student-focused, land-grant, research university, we serve our citizens.