With a little help, Iowa State students have reached out to help fellow Iowans.

Through ISU Extension and “I Can,” which stands for Iowa College Community Action Network, students have chipped in for the well-being of their communities across the state.

“We looked at placing 80 college students to work with youth and elderly issues in their area,” said Wendy Brock, youth development specialist for ISU Extension.

Since ISU Extension has offices in most Iowa counties, it was able to link various colleges with the different communities within the state, Brock said.

She said each student was scheduled to put in 900 hours of service during a two-year time period, from the fall of 1994 until the fall of 1996. Through the course of two years, 1,000 other students joined the project to offer their help.

The students acted as tutors and mentors, worked with the elderly and set up youth library programs, Brock said. She added that the lengthy time span allowed students time to accomplish their goals.

“The range was tremendous [and] because they were there for two years, it was sustainable,” she said.

Brock said although the project eventually ended, communities could find future volunteers to keep the programs running.

According to a press release, 41,000 Iowans have been helped through “I Can.”

The program gave students real-world experience while helping out needy communities, Brock said.

The project even changed some students’ minds about career choices. Brock said an ISU business major who had not considered working for a non-profit organization took interest in the area after working on the project.

“We hear so much that we are raising a selfish generation. We would hear from the [communities that the] volunteers would go above and beyond [their duties],” Brock said. “That sense of caring does exist in the next generation.”

In November, Brock received the Extension’s Achievement Award for her leadership role with “I Can.”