September 7, 2016
Jake Eisch is the Associate Director of Student Activities for Carroll University and a member of the 2016 United Way Campus Engagement Cabinet. In his role at Carroll, Jake oversees the Volunteer Center, all non-Greek student organizations, Daytime Programming and Computer Services, and Leadership Development and Programming.
Q. Why did you decide to be a part of the 2016 Campus Engagement Cabinet for United Way?
United Way works with so many organizations in the Waukesha and the Milwaukee community that are doing incredible work. Any opportunity to connect our Carroll community is something we are very excited to be a part of. It also serves as a way to learn from colleagues in Campus Engagement and share in the work that is being done.
Q. How do you encourage students you work with to give back to their community?
We work with students in a variety of ways. The first Tuesday they are on campus, we send all 700+ freshman into our community to do a variety of services ranging from removal of invasive species at a local park, to playing BINGO with seniors in assisted living communities, harvesting crops at a community garden and much more! Each campus student organization must complete one service project per semester that involves at least 50% of their registered organization members. Finally, we develop ongoing volunteer opportunities for all students, whether it be a one-time or recurring event. I’m proud to say that, over the past year, we’ve increased our volunteer hours from 8,400 to nearly 12,000!
Q. How do you like to get involved and give back to your community?
I am specifically passionate about providing healthy and nourishing food to our community through community gardens. I believe it brings people together around a common purpose, meets a very basic yet very real need, educates youth about where food comes from, provides life skill development…and it’s fun! Additionally, I serve as the advisor for our Habitat for Humanity chapter on campus. Being able to work side-by-side with a family on a house, knowing they will one day call it “home,” is very special to me and to see it do the same for students is extremely motivating and inspiring.