Since 2007, the Community Involvement Center (CIC) at Weber State University has implemented creative methods for melding the University and the local community. They are the recipients of the 2012 Utah Commission on Volunteers Transforming Communities award as well as the Presidents Service Honor Roll for six consecutive years. Today, 62 faculty are classified as Community Based Learning (CBL) courses through the center's efforts. CBL courses require students to engage with local non-profits in the community. Reaching into the community, the center has partnered with over 90 local non-profits impacting economic inequality to environmental awareness issues. Students are able to learn the theory behind the principle, then practice the principle by fulfilling a critical need in the community. The center has produced numerous materials to ensure that the service provided is mutually beneficial and intellectually stimulating. Recently, the CIC produced a faculty handbook aimed at accelerating new faculty's CBL knowledge. Online training modules provide students help students prepare to serve, teaching them the fundamentals in 8 different topics important to non-profit work. The center also provides cutting-edge training for volunteer managers through the Utah Commission on Volunteers Certified Volunteer Manager Program. In this way, the CIC is helping to build capacity in the community that is impacting all volunteers, not just student volunteers. The CIC is also the epicenter of the Weber State University AmeriCorps program. The center received over 90 AmeriCorps grants for students in 2011 and filled all of them. Students have quick access to help and information through the center that allows them to fulfill their service with the support of a full-time staff member. The center also holds two full-time AmeriCorps VISTA service members. The CIC also hosts numerous events each year to promote service, recognize achievement, and raise awareness. The Volunteer Fair, occurring twice a year, brings thousands of students into direct contact with non-profit recruiters. The Service Symposium recognizes students after their service by allowing them to present on their service and share their experiences with others. In raising student awareness about poverty, the CIC has produced models that are spreading throughout the state. In November 2011, the CIC produced a new model for a Hunger Banquet which was focused on local inequality and need. In March, the center hosted a Cardboard Campout that allowed students to actively produce hygiene kits for St. Anne's Homeless Shelter and sleep out in a cardboard box for a night. The Banquet model was recently used at the Utah Commission on Volunteers Conference and the Campout model will be the basis for a similar event at Snow College. The Community Involvement Center has broken barriers, united seemingly disparate communities and raised educational thresholds to a new level. For this reason, the CIC is deserving of this years Service Impact Award.