There are many popular pastimes during the holiday season. One such pastime is volunteering.

University of Northern Iowa’s Residence Hall Association and Service and Leadership Council teamed up Wednesday afternoon to pull students into the Maucker Union Ballroom to volunteer whatever time they could to make some lucky people’s holiday season a little brighter.    RHA and SLC students stood outside the entrance to Maucker Ballroom and invited students sitting in the Union to come in and volunteer just ten minutes of their time to help make someone else’s holiday a little better. 

“We just recruited people in the Union to come give a little bit of their time,” said Riley Harvey, senior business administration management major and member of RHA.

There were four different activities students who had even just a few minutes to spare could do in order to spread some holiday cheer.

“I saw the sign and thought I should come in. It seemed like a good thing to do with my time,” said Matthew Malone, senior secondary math education major, as he wrapped a Christmas present.

Gift wrapping, writing Christmas cards for senior citizens in the nursing home, making tie-blankets and writing letters to members of the military were the four activities offered for student volunteers.

“I like doing this kind of stuff…Volunteering and helping others,” said Kelsey Bergman, sophomore communication major as she worked on a tie-blanket.