Close to 600 Des Moines middle school students spent part of the day learning about community involvement.
The children from Hiatt Middle School planted vegetables in their community garden, made crafts for senior citizens and planted flowers.
It's all part of supporting the idea of volunteerism.
"A huge part is identifying youth opportunities. Something like a service day was something that the president here in this community thought was important," said Emily Boyd of the Community Housing Initiative.
Each grade at Hiatt was given a presentation on the value of volunteering in their neighborhoods.