At a glance
Recently, 98 students participated in the school’s Community Action Day, the annual day of service that takes place during the college’s Week of Welcome, in which new students engage in a number of local community service projects.
It doesn’t take long for new Alfred State College students to make an impact on the local community.
Recently, 98 students participated in the school’s Community Action Day, the annual day of service that takes place during the college’s Week of Welcome, in which new students engage in a number of local community service projects. Samantha Caldwell, a nursing major from Owego who interned for the Center for Civic Engagement, was the key student organizer for this year’s Community Action Day.
worked on with the Steuben County Habitat for Humanity during
Community Action Day 2018.
A total of 12 projects took place in seven areas this year – Alfred, Allentown, Almond, Belmont, Corning, Hornell, and Wellsville. The projects ranged from organizing a donation warehouse for the ACCORD Corporation, to washing windows and cleaning drains in a dog kennel at the Hornell Area Humane Society, to cleaning city streets in Corning, to planting and weeding at the Hornell Community Garden, and more.
Jonathan Hilsher, director of the Center for Civic Engagement at Alfred State, said, “Community Action Day is a great avenue for first-year students to get to know their new home community, meet other people, and provide meaningful help to others – all before their first class!”
Civic engagement is a key priority at Alfred State, with students, faculty, and staff taking part in days of service such as Celebrate Service Celebrate Allegany and Spring Into Action, and volunteering out-of-state and around the globe.
The number of service hours contributed by Alfred State’s students have seen significant increases in recent years. Through internships, clinical treatments, and volunteering, the number of service hours has surpassed 80,000 per school year.