Making a Difference before the First Class
Just after moving in, UCLA freshman hustle off to their first pep rally.
It's not for football, but for the biggest, one-day volunteer campaign any school has ever done, reports CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker.
"You literally are leading the nation," said Karen Baker, California's secretary of Service and Volunteering.
An inner-city school got a make-over.
At 7:45 a.m. Angela Sanchez and 50 freshmen on her floor gathered with the hundreds from her dorm, and merged with thousands from other dorms. A blue and gold army of 4,600 loaded onto buses and fanned out across Los Angeles to 26 worksites full of pep and cheer.
Sanchez knows about volunteering. Her family was homeless last year. She didn't despair, she volunteered, tutoring other kids in the shelter.
"It's better than focusing on yourself and your own situation," Sanchez said.
A thousand kids stormed the beach, doing maintenance cash-strapped Los Angeles can't afford.
"It's the most incredible outpouring of volunteerism I've ever seen," said Linda Nitsch, an older volunteer.
"I have more faith in youth than I ever did," said Burt Nitsch.
They cleared brush in Griffith Park.
"I love volunteering, so this is totally fine and I don't have allergies," said Anastasia Zorko, a UCLA freshman.
What does it take to pull off an operation like this? Along the lines of 5,500 meals, 101 buses, 555 gallons of paint, 5,000 paint brushes and 546 shovels and rakes.
"It's great," said James Schafer, a UCLA freshman. "First week of school and we're out making a difference in the community."
UCLA plans to make this an annual event and hopes the students continue giving for a lifetime.
