Geneseo Goes to Town
In honor of April being National Volunteer Month, many organizations on campus have chosen to do service projects. This past weekend, an event called “Geneseo Goes to Town” occurred on Saturday, Apr. 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day of service is an annual tradition that connects volunteers with local community projects in all 17 towns and 9 villages in Livingston County. This day is a collaborative effort between the Center for Community, Livingston CARES, and Alpha Phi Omega.
The organizations worked together to connect the campus volunteers to various community projects. The campus volunteers were mainly students, but staff and faculty were also encouraged to join the event. Volunteers pre-registered for this event days in advance and had to answer questions about their means of transportation and availability. Volunteers then received an email before Saturday with their chosen volunteer site and various relevant details.
Groups were told to visit the Hunt Room in the union before proceeding to their assigned placement. My group and I were assigned to the Interfaith Center (IFC) on Franklin Street and instructed to meet by 9:45 a.m. The Interfaith Center is a spiritual home for students from any faith and consistently hosts events for the enrichment of Geneseo students and local community members. Our mission for the day was to assist with labor and outdoor chores so that they could continue to host events for students.
Upon arrival we were given forms to fill out, t-shirts to wear, and rain ponchos to take in case the weather turned sour. Mackenzie DeRider, Interim Director of Student Volunteerism and Community Engagement, informed each group of what their project would be when they arrived at their site. My group was told we would be doing litter removal and various other outdoor activities. Upon arrival at the site we were given gloves and bags to collect trash with. After all of the litter was removed, we were then given various garden tools to take care of weeds and thorn-riddled bushes.
Volunteers at the IFC had previously decided that they wanted to place a community garden next to the building in the near future. To help with this we completely cleared a flat area of all sticks, weeds, twigs, leaves and rocks. Along with frequent water breaks and a few tumbles, the service was a fun activity; it allowed students to get to know each other and community members while also learning about one of Geneseo’s largest service-orientated gathering places for students. After two hours, we had created a massive pile of debris to be removed, and we were done for the day.
Participating in this service that happened to be on Earth Day was a bonus to the overall experience. Students in other groups did gardening, which included planting, weeding and raking, spreading mulch, yard work, and cleaning out an amphitheater. Volunteering in services that are helping the environment is just one thing everyone can do, and not just on Earth Day, to help this planet that we call home. Next year when “Geneseo Goes to Town” comes around again, come volunteer and help make a difference in the community.