At a glance
Approximately 200 students from Alfred State, Alfred University, and Houghton College recently engaged in a variety of community service projects throughout Allegany County during the seventh annual Celebrate Service, Celebrate Allegany day of service event.
Approximately 200 students from Alfred State, Alfred University, and Houghton College recently engaged in a variety of community service projects throughout Allegany County during the seventh annual Celebrate Service, Celebrate Allegany day of service event.
Students from all three institutions gathered at their respective colleges and were transported to pre-arranged service locations. The students engaged in a variety of projects, ranging from raking leaves and performing cleanup work at Woodlawn Cemetery in Andover to preparing and serving lunch at the Wellsville Community Kitchen to playing games and activities at Highland Park Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Wellsville. Overall, the student volunteers worked on 20 projects in seven different communities.
Since Celebrate Service, Celebrate Allegany began, more than 2,400 students have participated in the event, investing more than 11,000 hours of service to Allegany County communities on this day alone. Celebrate Service, Celebrate Allegany coincides each year with Make a Difference Day, the largest single national day of community service.
Amy Miller, Alfred State residence director and coordinator of Civic Engagement, said, “Alfred State students have the opportunity to provide valuable help to community organizations in our area. Students enjoy getting to meet local folks in various nursing homes, libraries, and non-profits who count on the students’ service to reach their organization’s mission. Large-scale days of service, like CSCA, are one way in which students can positively make a difference locally and often leads to further involvement in civic engagement initiatives.“
Alfred University Service Learning Coordinator Corey Fecteau said, “Alfred University is delighted to participate once more in this county-wide fall day of service. Students, faculty, and staff give generously of their time every year to support the work of local community agencies and outreach efforts. We’re grateful for opportunities like Celebrate Service, Celebrate Allegany to serve our communities while learning more about Allegany County.”
The impact of Celebrate Service, Celebrate Allegany goes far beyond a single day, however. For students, it is a way to illustrate and develop a culture and lifestyle of community service, which they will hopefully carry with them throughout their tenure as students and into their lives post-education. For local communities, it enables important tasks, projects, and events to get a jump-start, make significant progress, or come to fruition.
The three institutions rely on donations to help pay for necessary supplies, T-shirts, and transportation for the day of service. This year, financial and in-kind support was graciously provided by Greater Allegany Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Allegany, Otis Eastern Service, LLC, Allegany County Area Foundation, Hot Silk Screen Printing, and Auxiliary Campus Enterprises & Services.
For more information about the Celebrate Service, Celebrate Allegany day of service, please visit www.celebrateallegany.com.
