Several local chapters of the National Associates Committee (NAC) discovered diverse ways to celebrate "National Community Service Month" in August by helping their communities and promoting awareness of architecture and architects. During the month of August, AIA associates from across the country organized and took part in locally organized community service events, themed "Service by Design," to tie together community service and architectural awareness. NAC goals—and the AIA itself—center on these two ideas.

Local chapters found unique ways to take part and to give back to their communities. Associate members of these chapters organized and implemented these programs, and many architect members across the country also pitched in. The programs included:

• Young Architects Forum St. Paul & Minneapolis's 2002 Aquatennial Sand Castle Competition. YAF Minnesota partnered with Design Camp students to enter the 2002 Aquatennial Sand Castle Building Competition July 28 at Lake Calhoun. The camp introduces students in grades 9–12 to design and possible careers in the field through classes and hands-on activities, and the sand-castle building joint venture capped their weeklong program. It also brought YAF-MN participants closer to their goals of promoting youth outreach and extending public awareness of architecture. Visit TargetDesignCamp online.

• AIA Columbus's Building Architecture Week at St. Timothy Elementary School. A team of a dozen architects joined forces to create a one-week seminar to introduce children in grades 1–8 to architecture and construction. They took the architecture theme and tied it to the rest of the student's curriculum: reading books in English class, reviewing structures in math, etc. The week's lessons came together with a CANSTRUCTION© day, during which the students in all grades got to design and build an object of their choice out of food cans. After completing and displaying the structures, the children dismantled the cans and donated them to a local food bank.

• AIA Colorado's Peak Challenge 2002 Mountain Climb. A team of 15 architects and friends climbed Pikes Peak on August 3 to benefit the Emily Griffith Center & WB2 Charities. The team, organized by Denver's SLATERPAULL Architects, extended to include AIA members from across the state. The team raised more than $1,200 in sponsorship and contributed to the $60,000 raised this year to benefit the center. Throughout the program, 22 peaks were conquered by nearly 200 volunteers; on one summit AIA Colorado members and their friends and families came together to make a difference. For more information about Peak Challenge, visit the Web site.

• AIA San Antonio's Monticello Park Pavilion Design Competition. The neighborhood of Monticello Park, a historic district in San Antonio, houses an eclectic mix of New Orleans Colonial, French Revival, Mediterranean, Greek Revival, Tudor, and Mission architecture. A group of 35 community-minded architects have accepted the community's design challenge: to devise a schematic that is innovative and works with the fabric of the neighborhood. The neighborhood competition is open to architecture students, intern architects, and architects.

The success of this year's Community Service Month has spurred the committee to start planning for a bigger and better program next year. The associates are looking forward to more exciting programs through which additional AIA chapters and increased member involvement becomes the norm. Click here for more information on these programs.

To get involved in the 2003 National Community Service Month planning, or to learn more about the National Associates Committee, contact Kevin Shertz, Assoc. AIA, Emerging Professionals director, kshertz@aia.org or 202-626-7325.

Copyright 2002 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.