Students volunteer at the Kaleidoscope Discovery Center for Gonzo Gives Back 2016. Sam O’Keefe/Missouri S&T

A new tradition is quickly cementing its place in the St. Pat’s celebrations at Missouri University of Science and Technology. For the second year in a row, students will volunteer at various locations in the Rolla area as part of the “Gonzo Gives Back Day of Service.”

The volunteer groups will start heading out to begin work at 8 a.m. Thursday, March 16. The event is named for the Gonzo and Games that traditionally take place that day, which consist of a series of games and sports competitions for students.

The service event is sponsored by the St. Pat’s Committee and the Missouri S&T student life department, and supported by the National Panhellenic Conference and Interfraternity Council, in partnership with the following Rolla-area organizations: Audubon Trails Nature Center, City of Rolla Fire and Rescue, Great Circle, Hope Alliance of Missouri: Friday Backpack Program, H.O.P.E. House, Kaleidoscope Discovery Center, Phelps County Bank Take-a-Stand Against Child Abuse, Rolla Lion’s Club, Rolla Health and Rehab, Rolla Presbyterian Manor, Rolla Public Schools, The Community Partnership, and WomanSpace Rolla.

“One of the reasons the committee created the service day was to give back to the community that is always there supporting the St. Pat’s celebrations,” says Jessica Haywood, Missouri S&T’s program administrator for volunteerism. “We are building on the success of last year’s pilot program and hope to involve as many S&T students as possible.”

The Gonzo Gives Back event is a part of the two-week-long St. Pat’s celebration at Missouri S&T. The events will cumulate with the St. Pat’s Parade on Pine Street in downtown Rolla at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 18. For more information about all St. Pat’s events, visit stpats.mst.edu.