UNL student organization plans statewide 13-stop service project

Thirteen University of Nebraska-Lincoln students are planning a 1,500-mile journey by van across the state of Nebraska to complete 13 service projects in 13 different towns during the last weekend in March.

The students, all members of UNL's Innocents Society, said they hope the project will be a representation of both Nebraska's and the university's commitment to strong values through altruism and service.

The organization said it chose to reach out to numerous communities across Nebraska and give people a reason to focus on service for a weekend.

Calling the event "iVan" (Innocents Volunteer across Nebraska), the society will extend the university's community outreach throughout the state in an unconventional and comprehensive way. The group will stop in the 13 selected communities March 26-29.

With stops that include Decatur, Newcastle, Albion, O'Neill, Valentine, Chadron, Ogallala, Imperial, Stapleton, Sumner, Hastings, Fairbury and Tecumseh, the group will travel a distance that exceeds the trip from Lincoln to Boston by 10 miles.

In these communities, the society will collaborate with residents in prearranged service events, which range from a beautification project for a local park to serving meals at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center.

The Innocents Society, the chancellor's senior honorary and the longest-standing honorary at UNL, is composed of 13 senior students selected on the basis of academic excellence, leadership and service. It has been a presence of leadership and spirit on campus since its founding in 1903.

Alumni include former U.S Sen. Bob Kerrey, Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning, Tennessee Titans linebacker Kyle Vanden Bosch and University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken.