Kettering University’s monthly Service Saturdays will be getting an influx of added support beginning on July 11 -- employees from General Motors facilities in mid-Michigan will also be volunteering for service projects in the University Avenue Corridor.

Kettering’s Service Saturdays program was launched in 2013, with the founding principle of the initiative aimed at promoting civic engagement among Kettering students, faculty and staff by teaming up for a variety of community service projects in the University Avenue Corridor region in Flint in collaboration with several community organizations. In 2014, Kettering hosted 10 service days that included more than 470 volunteers who contributed more than 1,700 hours to the Flint community.

“Service Saturdays have helped create a positive domino effect in the University Corridor,” said Jack Stock, Kettering University director of External Relations. “People who live in the area consistently see volunteers out there, cleaning up and engaging in the community, and it makes more and more people want to get involved. That’s helped these events grow -- it just spreads through word of mouth and people witnessing our volunteers out there consistently helping in the community and then wanting to get involved themselves.”

General Motors is providing volunteers for three of Kettering’s Service Saturdays -- July 11, August 8 and October 3. On July 11, volunteers will conduct tree trimming, brush clearing, bagging and weed whipping along the Flint River Trail and Atwood Stadium parking lot.

In addition, GM volunteers -- many of whom will be Kettering University graduates -- will be able to tour campus facilities before and after the service projects each day.

“The service days in Flint are a great opportunity for employees to engage in the exciting revitalization of the city of Flint,” said Sabin Blake ‘99, Community Outreach Manager at General Motors . “Our teamGM Cares volunteers have adopted families over the holidays, collected money and mittens for young school children, packed food for Gleaners and Forgotten Harvest, collected Halloween costumes and treats for Matrix Human Services, mentored robotics teams, participated in telethons and served their communities in many other ways. These projects in Flint will be a great way for our employees to leave a positive imprint on a community that continues to be a vital part of GM’s legacy.”

Registration each service day will be from 8-9 a.m. at Kettering University. Tours of campus will be available from 9-9:45 a.m. Volunteers will work on the service projects from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. each day. Tours of campus will also be available following the projects from 12:30-2:30 p.m.

GM employees interested in registering to volunteer for any of the three service days should contact Sabin Blake ‘99 at sabin.blake@gm.com for details.

Kettering University faculty, staff and students interested in volunteering can contact Jack Stock at jstock@kettering.edu for details or show up on the day of each service project before 9 a.m. to sign up.