Pepperdine University students, faculty, staff and alumni volunteered at 14 Malibu service locations Sept. 10 for the 23rd annual Step Forward Day, a worldwide day of service. Volunteers lent a hand to such organizations as the Boys & Girls Club of Malibu, the Malibu Senior Citizens Club and Charmlee Wilderness Park, as well as local schools and churches.
“Any college or university can be an environment where the community gets really wrapped up in campus life,” Assistant Director Meredith Miller of the Pepperdine Volunteer Center said. “To kick off our year getting to know our community again and getting connected to our neighbors is really significant and sets a major tone for doing both.”
On Step Forward Day, 1,400 participants from around the world join community partners for a day of service. The event began in Malibu in 1988 when two students recognized the need for volunteers in the community and wanted to join their peers to help out. Step Forward Day now includes work with more than 60 organizations from Los Angeles County to Tokyo, Japan.