April is National Volunteer Month and UNO Alumni Month of Service. To continue UNO’s legacy of community service, alumni and friends make pledges to volunteer throughout the month, giving back to their communities around the world.
In 2024, 191 UNO alumni and friends donated 1,874 hours of community service! Join us in reaching our goal of 2,000 volunteer hours in 2025!
Ideas for UNO Alumni Month of Service projects:
Make a pledge to volunteer and receive a free UNO branded item!
On Saturday, April 5, 60 alumni and friends gathered on campus to volunteer their time and share their passion for the University of Nebraska at Omaha at Serve UNO Day.
Together, UNO alumni and friends contributed 90 hours of service to UNO!
Read stories from Mavericks about their projects and why they volunteer below. Together, we are continuing UNO’s legacy of community service.
Members of the UNO Alumni Chapter in Phoenix helped pack emergency food boxes at St. Mary’s Food Bank. The boxes will be distributed throughout Arizona to families experiencing food insecurity.
Matt McMaster (BS, 1998) is a volunteer facilitator at The Family Room Church Food Pantry. In April, they hosted a community resource fair featuring a free workshop by a national speaker and author. The event also included 15 community partners offering free resources to those in need and a warm meal. McMaster helped coordinate, schedule, promote and provide hours of manual labor to execute the event. Fellow alum, Michael Monico (BS, 2023), and McMaster’s daughter, Ayana, a sophomore at UNO also volunteered their time.
“I continue to volunteer because we are all in need of something; rich or poor, young or old,” said McMaster.
Emily Geest (MS, 2017) volunteers at Insect Adventure, an extension insect-themed science center in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Geest helps create outreach activities like making insect headband name tags, creating lady beetle walking stones for a garden and stir-frying some mealworms for an edible insect activity.
“My favorite part of volunteering is watching people develop an interest in science and become less fearful of insects,” said Geest.
Since retiring, Gene Kathol (BS, 1969) served on the Board of Directors of Nebraska Trout Unlimited for 16 years including two as President. He is now a volunteer Youth Education Coordinator helping teach school-aged children about raising trout, their food sources and how to fly fish throughout the state of Nebraska. He travels to outdoor events hosted by the Nebraska Game and Parks to share his appreciation and expertise.
“I want kids to learn about and appreciate the outdoors so there will still be advocates for the appreciation of the outdoor resources that we have for future generations,” said Kathol.
University of Nebraska at Omaha Alumni Association
2285 S. 67th Street, Suite 200 Omaha, NE 68106
[email protected]
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© 2025 UNO Alumni Association | Privacy Policy
University of Nebraska at Omaha Alumni Association
2285 S. 67th Street, Suite 200 Omaha, NE 68106
[email protected]
402-504-3338| 800-432-3216
Copyright | Privacy Policy