The Giving Tuesday service event this year harbored 557.5 service hours, more than double the 217 hours from last year’s event.

President Mary Fleck of the Student Philanthropy Community said this increase could be because the event hosted more community partners than last year, and recurring participants likely contributed to the number. The near 341 hour increase from last year’s event came despite the number of participants only increasing from 125 to 218.

Fleck said it is important to have the community partners in an accessible place for students. The event took place in the multipurpose room in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and students were free to come and go as they pleased.

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“(Students) don’t have to go too far or take too much out of their day to make a huge impact,” she said.

Haley Weis, a biology major and pre-dentistry University sophomore, emphasized the importance of doing things for others.

“I think after Black Friday, Cyber Monday and different events like that where we are kind of indulging in ourselves, it is important to give back to the community and give back to people who are not as fortunate as we are,” she said. Weis hopes to go back to her home of Chicago after college and work in a lower income community as a dentist.

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Some activities at the event included making dog toys and food bags, writing holiday cards and letters to veterans and penning writing motivational letters to young kids in school. Participants and the Cocoon Shelter’s table made 340 holiday cards.

University students participating in Giving Tuesday emphasized the importance of giving back at this time of year, such as pre-occupational therapist and psychology major Hannah Ryan.

“Especially around the holidays, you realize how blessed you are. It is important to realize that not everyone is as blessed, and to give back and make sure that everyone has a great holiday,” Ryan said.

Ryan plans to achieve her doctorate after graduating from the University. She hopes to open up her own practice and work with children with autism.

A volunteer from The Cocoon Shelter said it is important to give back even when others do not know we are giving back. It’s important to care about them even if we don’t know them, she added.

Fleck said both University organizations and community partners were involved in the event’s coordination. The community partners that came to the event included the Cocoon Shelter, Red Cross, United Way, Meals on Wheels, The Wood County Committee on Aging, Food for Thought and the Humane Society. Organizations involved in the planning of the event included the Student Alumni Ambassadors, the Panhellenic Council, the Resident Student Association, the Alumni Laureate Scholars, the National Residence Hall Honorary and a few Greek organizations.