The legacy of Cesar Chavez still lives on through the dedication and commitment from students at Sacramento State. The Cesar Chavez Community Service Day, an event that hopes to instill the essence of social justice in students, will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday in University Union Ballroom III.

Students were being encouraged to register for the event by March 13 due to liability forms, said Maribel Rosendo-Servin, Associated Students, Inc., chief of staff.

Viridiana Canada, sophomore criminal justice major and intern for the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), said she helped coordinate the event. She said they were expecting people to show up at the Ballroom on the day of the event, but they received many applications on the March 13 (the deadline), so they have enough people to work at the sites and will not be able to allow students who come on Friday to volunteer because of the funding and the amount of sites available.

“At this point I think they can unless we’re at the maximum limit because of the funding and the amount of sites we do have available, but I think as far as now, past the deadline, it’s still okay for students to sign up,” Rosendo-Servin said.

The event has been made possible with the collaboration of ASI, the CAMP program, the Multi-Cultural Center, the Community Engagement Center, Student Activities and the Serna Center.

Students will first meet in the University Ballroom III where there will be a welcoming, a showing of a clip of “The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers’ Struggle,” and two keynote speakers, Xico Gonzalez and Juanita Polendo Ontiveros. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., students will be volunteering at their designated sites. Some sites include the Salvation Army, Oak Park Preschool, St. John’s Shelter for Women and Children, and California Middle School.

The types of services students will be doing at these sites, “can range from teaching and working with the students if they’re at school sites, teaching the legacy of Cesar Chavez, or doing activities that the teachers have already planned for them to do with the students,” Rosendo-Servin said. “One school mentioned helping with the gardening that hasn’t been dealt with. I know in the shelter they mentioned helping to prepare the food and serving the food to the members of that shelter.”

Rosendo-Servin, who is putting on the event, mentioned there will be a luncheon barbeque during the afternoon portion held at Sac State’s Aquatic Center.

“It’ll be something to reward the students for actually taking the day off and participating,” she said.

The Cesar Chavez Community Service Day first started at Sac State in 2004, but has not been put on for the past two years due to changes with spring break dates. Without ASI President Miguel Cervantes, this event might not have occurred this year either.

Cervantes, senior government major, said he brought up the idea last year of having the event again at Sac State, but it was already too late into the year to plan.

“This year working with Maribel, I said ‘Maribel this is something important we’ve got to have on campus,'” Cervantes said. “Not only because it educates our peers on farm workers’ issues, but it educates our peers on history. Also, we are doing a benefit for our community.”

Cervantes said he was very excited to have this event back on campus.

“What made me now become so involved and what made me really put my time and effort is that aspect of coming together as a campus, going out to our communities and making a difference there,” Cervantes said.

Canada said this was her first time participating in the Cesar Chavez Community Service Day. She said she heard about the event from Rosendo-Servin.

“I really had no idea what the Cesar Chavez Community Service day was, but the more I got into it and Mari started talking to me about it, the more interested I became,” Canada said. “Just having the students involved in the community, that is one of the biggest things I would like to see happen.”

Canada said what opened her mind and got her involved is the life of Cesar Chavez.

“Knowing about Cesar Chavez’ life and what he wanted to accomplish, what he accomplished, and why he was doing it. That’s what got me involved.”

Christina Li can be reached at [email protected]