A new registered student organization, Project L.I.N.K, revolving around community service has started up on campus.

President Gabrielle Going said the organization’s goal is to get college students and the youth engaged in community service work.

Going said she came up with the idea for the new RSO over the summer while in Chicago, but did not have the resources and funding to make it happen right away.In an email sent to students about the organization, Going said she created Project L.I.N.K. because she thought there was a need for more youth outreach.

“I couldn’t sleep one night and so I came up with the idea of doing something for the youth and community,” Going said.

The group will host its first event, a Service Day, at 11 a.m. Saturday in the University Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Vice President Jordan Campbell where there will be four different services to participate in.

According to the email Going sent to students, the community service day will activities like making cots and care packages for the homeless, creating inspirational goodie bags for high school students and creating blankets and cards for those in the nursing home.

Going said one goal she has for the Project L.I.NK. Service day is having different organizations make posters with inspirational quotes on them for different shelters.

Going will be graduating in December, and Campbell will be taking over as president, but her hope for the organization is to have one big service day every semester.

For her long-term goals, Going wants Project L.I.N.K. to be at all the state universities and eventually branch out to other organizations.

“For Eastern specifically, I hope numbers grow in members and people use their skills and enhance the organizations as well as themselves,” Going said. I hope to come back for a reunion and see how much the organization has grown.”.

The organization has general body meetings every other Thursday.

AJ Fournier can be reached at 581-2812 or ajfournier@eiu.edu.