BY CYNTHIA LEE
UCLA Today Staff

What can make a campus tour guide director break out in a cold sweat? Ask Ellen Cohen, who suddenly had 200 eighth graders coming in from the San Joaquin Valley to tour UCLA and no available student tour guides.

Fortunately, Cohen turned to a source of volunteer help that many departments may not know is available to them. Her plea for tour guides was answered by 10 Alumni Scholars, exceptional students who receive scholarships from the UCLA Alumni Association and volunteer at major campus events through the ASC Campus Partners Program.

“They came through for us and saved the day,” said a grateful Cohen, who supervises campus tours for Undergraduate Admissions and Relations with Schools. “Their help was invaluable. They talked about student life at UCLA and just got the visiting students all excited and interested in going to college.”

The volunteers have lent their talents to the annual L.A. Times book festival and the “I’m Going to College” program. So far, they’ve put in more than 11,000 hours working at campus-sponsored projects, including tutoring.

For UCLA departments or other units interested in tapping this ready pool of volunteers, there are some requirements: Events must be campus-based, occur before May 15, require at least 10 volunteers and serve at least 75 people. Volunteers can help organize, set up and work the event.

Interested? Go to www.uclalumni.net/studentsandparents/asc to find out more details and download an application form.