Students lend a hand across the nation
Written by Dane Sullivan Friday, 29 January 2010 08:00
On March 12, three buses are scheduled to depart from NDSU in honor of the STLF Pay It Forward Tour.
Students Today Leaders Forever, the organization behind the tour, strives to make the world a better place by volunteering in cities all over the country. The organization, started in 2003, is inspiring area students to lend a hand.
Courtney Topp, a student and STLF core planner at NDSU, became involved in the tour to meet new people and help those in need.
“Being part of the tour is a great way to build new relationships and do something good for someone else,” Topp said.
The students will travel by bus to five different volunteer sites around the nation. Once stops have been made in all the scheduled areas, they will meet up in celebration cities with seven other buses to attend a conference and reflect on their achievements.
In addition to the celebration, the group of 200 volunteers will end the tour by performing one last major service project.
This year, the NDSU buses are scheduled to reach the celebration cities of Dallas and New Orleans. One of the buses will be going to Dallas while two others plan to arrive in New Orleans.
Laura Bihrle, another student who has helped plan the trip, views the tour as a mission that is beneficial to volunteers as well as the people they plan to help.
“Our mission is to reveal leadership and form strong relationships. The celebration cities are fun because everyone gets to wear matching T-shirts and bond as a group.”
“You get on a bus with 45 people you don’t know and get off with 45 new friends,” Topp said.
Corey Johnson, a student who toured last year, is planning on leading one of the buses for this year’s tour.
“I had so much fun last year and it made me want to lead in this year’s efforts,” Johnson said.
NDSU isn’t the only area college involved in the effort. MSUM is also planning on sending a bus to Washington, D.C. The core planners are encouraging students to take advantage of either option.
More tour information can be gathered by attending STLF meetings, which are held in 22 Sudro Hall every Thursday at 8 p.m. Prospective volunteers can learn more and receive registration information by contacting This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visiting http://www.stlf.net/chapters/ndsu.
