News from Cal State San Bernardino’s Palm Desert Campus:

First-year students at Cal State San Bernardino’s Palm Desert Campus continued a tradition of volunteering that will benefit foster youth in the Coachella Valley, as part of national Make A Difference Day.

On Oct. 27, 60 first-year students decorated and filled 60 blue duffel bags each with a blanket, coloring book and crayons, and a stuffed bear for foster children in the Coachella Valley.

The duffel bags will be distributed by the nonprofit Together We Rise. Often when foster children are moved from home to home, they usually have to carry their belongings in trash bags. Together We Rise wants to replace trash bags with blue duffel bags to make the foster care transitions a little bit easier for children.

Diane Podolske, director of the CSUSB Office of Community Engagement, which organized the event, said the first-year students were being introduced to Cal State San Bernardino’s tradition of helping others as part of its DNA of serving the community.

“This is part of being a Coyote,” Podolske said. “We want our students to participate in Make A Difference Day because they are making a difference. We want them to know that they count and can continue to serve long after graduation.”

Started in 1992, Make A Difference Day is one of the largest national days of community service in the United States. Celebrated annually on the fourth Saturday in October, thousands of volunteers unite in a common mission to improve the lives of others.

Visit the following websites for more information on each program:

· Make A Difference Day at http://www.makeadifferenceday.com;

· Together We Rise at https://www.togetherwerise.org; and the

· CSUSB Office of Community Engagement at https://www.csusb.edu/community-engagement

Located in beautiful Palm Desert, the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees, a doctorate in educational leadership, and teacher credentials and certificates. With more than 1,400 students, it is the Coachella Valley’s four-year public university and plays a vital role in educating and training the region’s growing population.

For more information about the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus, contact Mike Singer in the campus’ Office of Public Affairs at [email protected] or (760) 341-2883, ext. 78107, or visit the campus website at pdc.csusb.edu.