Gators pay it forward
Volunteers contribute to community in monthly service day
Allegheny College students dig and outline the footpath from the Meadville Area High School to the Meadville Area Recreation Complex on Saturday, Sept 19, 2015.
The day began with a provided breakfast in the Pelletier Library, where Heather Fish, ’15, and Lee Scandinaro, ’15, both Davies Coordinators in Civic Engagement, had a few words to jump start the day.
“It’s not about the project, it’s about the people,” said Fish.
Scandinaro echoed Fish’s statement.
“Have fun. Some of the projects might seem tedious or like busywork, but these people really appreciate our work and it’s meaningful,” said Scandinaro.
The projects ranged from gardening to demolition. Emmett Barr, ’17, led the men’s cross country team’s project. Rhonda Hershelman, a Meadville resident, had the volunteers take apart her shed.
“We’re going to destroy Rhonda’s shed,” said Barr, smiling.
Elia Sherman, ’18, led a project at the Meadville Area Recreation Complex.
“We’re building an interactive trail from the high school to the community garden,” Sherman said.
This project was devised between the college and the community.
“My junior [seminar] designed the proposal for this trail,” said Marissa Walters, ’16.
As for the other projects, Tyler Allen, ’18, ran an apple picking session at Mystic Mountain Training Center for a horse farm.
“I would hope that it would help the horses,” said Allen.
There were two similar gardening projects. Angela Bui, ’16, led a group to weed and trim at the Liberty House at the Crawford County Coalition of Housing, and Shanile Mcpherson, ’16, and her team assisted Creative Landscapes in tidying up a community garden.
Lee Ann Streshenkoff, ’17, and Meric Islam, ’17, from the animal welfare club at Allegheny ran a booth at the Canine Cancer Walk at the Conneaut Lake Bark Park.
“This is a yearly project that our club’s been having, and it’s a great way to get more people aware of the cause,” said Islam.
Service Saturday takes place the first Saturday of every month. Students can get more information at the Allegheny Gateway in the Pelletier Library.
Aleäa Reyes
Allegheny College students collaborate with Creating Landscapes in cleaning and sprucing a Meadville community garden.
Elia Sherman, ’18, leads a Service Saturday project in creating a shortcut between the Meadville Area High School and the Meadville Area Recreation Complex. The students measure the width of the path while digging and leveling.
