Office of Community Engagement spurs student volunteerism

Formed in January, the Office of Community Engagement was formed with the goal of helping students find volunteering opportunities. Tonya Ackley runs the office as the Coordinator of Community Engagement.

“Even prior to the office’s existence there has been a tradition of community service and giving back,” Ackley said. “There is a strong culture of service on campus.”

With the introduction of the new office, it is now easier than ever for students to find a way to give back.

In the first six months of existence, the office matched Pitt-Bradford students with 11 different activities in the community.

On a cold Saturday morning in February, 26 members of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity volunteered at the McKean County SPCA. All 26 were there and ready at 8:30 a.m. They learned that to have the greatest impact as a volunteer, you must focus on the needs of the organization.

Kappa Sigma members helped clean kennels, change litter boxes, feed the animals, wash dishes and do laundry, offering 65 total hours of community service that morning.

In April, the Green Team followed a suggestion by Ackley and taught residents and staff at the YWCA Homeless Shelter how to make laundry detergent and homemade cleaners that are environmentally friendly and economical.

Ackley said, “Students were able to have a better experience because they got to interact with the residents of the shelter and learn more about the issues of homelessness and poverty.”

But not all activities are hard work; one of the university’s biggest contributions came on a fun-filled night at the bowling alley.

On April 2, students and staff alike raised $1,300 for Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl for Kids Sake. Gamers United, Gamma Psi Omega, Alpha Phi Omega and Resident Advisors participated in the event with Greek Council donating $125 dollars as a lane sponsor.

“Rarely, these days, it is just one student taking the initiative to do a service project on their own,” said Ackley. “Students today would much rather go out in large groups and make a difference together.”

Even with such accomplishments in their first few months as a recognized office, Ackley is still looking to further expand the helping hand of the university. She said that much of the beginning phase was simply to lay the groundwork of the office and establish partnerships within the community.

Now Ackley wants a total of 5,000 hours of community service as a goal for the university with at least one campus-wide community service project each month. She also wants to create or participate in annual events that students will look forward to.

Other goals that Ackley and the office are striving towards are to create more civic engagement activities for the students. She is working with the Student Government organization on campus to coordinate a voter registration as well as participate in the annual Constitution Day.

With students returning to campus, the office already has numerous events planned. Sept. 11 will be its “Big for a Day” event on campus in collaboration with Big Brothers Big Sisters as a freshman community service project. Other events are the United Way Day of Action on Sept. 17; Make a Difference Day, Oct. 22; National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, Nov. 13-20; and Martin Luther King Day of Service, Jan. 16, 2012.

Students looking for volunteer opportunities or organizations who would like to work with Pitt-Bradford students can contact Ackley in the Harriett B. Wick Chapel, or “Like” the office’s page on Facebook for updates and information on upcoming events.