This Saturday, April 6, Volunteer ETSU and The Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement will hold the inaugural Dula Day of Service in honor of the late Dr. Chris Dula, a beloved ETSU professor who passed away Jan. 8 after battling with brain cancer.

The Dula Day of Service was originally known as Service Saturday but was renamed to honor Dr. Dula’s dedication to the university and commitment to community service.

“With both his love for the university and his commitment to service, my hope is that folks find this an appropriate tribute to [Dr. Dula,]” said Joy Fulkerson, assistant director for the Student Organization Resource Center.

During the day or service, students, faculty and staff will be assigned to pre-arranged service sites and projects with local non-profits and other agencies around the area. There is no deadline for anyone to register to serve, though Fulkerson noted that earlier is better in order to coordinate best with the host organizations, though they won’t turn away somebody who wants to help. The deadline for non-profits or other organizations to register as a host is Thursday.

“We’re still accepting registrations, but we’re asking that people register as soon as possible, but we also will accept those as long as we have people interested,” said Fulkerson.

Currently there are roughly 100 people registered to show up on Saturday, but Fulkerson noted that’s still short of their goal of 200 people. One thing that Fulkerson hopes will boost attendance: the weather.

While the weather has been a bit inconsistent lately, Saturday projects to be a nice day, with a high of 75°F and just a 20 percent chance of rain.

Saturday’s event also coincides with Johnson City’s sesquicentennial monthly theme of Faith and Service, with several local churches already registered as host sites for Saturday, including Central Baptist Church. The church’s volunteers will be packing 150,000 food bags for donation in celebration their 150th year of existence, too.

For those wanting to register to volunteer, organizations looking to host a service site or for more information, visit www.etsu.edu/leadandserve