Annual Service Events Take Center Stage
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September 14, 2011
Students interested in Emmanuel's numerous service opportunities found themselves with plenty of options during their first days back on campus as the College held two of its annual service events, the Volunteer Fair and the New Student Day of Service.
"Serving the community is an important part of Emmanuel's culture and tradition," said Associate Director of Community Service and Service Learning Deirdre Bradley-Turner. "These events provide opportunities for students to get involved, meet other students and see and serve one of Boston's many neighborhoods."
The Volunteer Fair was held September 14th in the Maureen Murphy Wilkens Atrium of the Jean Yawkey Center and featured representatives from 23 organizations from throughout the Greater Boston area. Students had the chance to make connections and learn more about service opportunities offered at these organizations, which included American Red Cross, Big Sister/Big Brother Association, Notre Dame Mission Volunteers and Pine Street Inn, among others.
The 16th annual New Student Day of Service was held on September 6th. Despite rainy conditions, which led to the postponement of service at three locations, 217 first-year students took part in their inaugural Emmanuel volunteer experience, spending time at Greater Boston-area nonprofit organizations throughout the day. Students served at eight different service sites: Community Servings, Cradles to Crayons, Marian Manor, St. Ambrose Family Shelter, St. Mary of the Angels Parish in Roxbury, Sancta Maria House, Mission Grammar School, and St. Mark's Church in Dorchester.
"I've always been involved in giving back to my community throughout high school and even worked to set up trips to local soup kitchens, so participating in the Day of Service was something I was looking forward to," said Nicole Onofreo '15, who volunteered at St. Ambrose Family Shelter. "It truly warmed my heart when one of the little boys stopped and said hi to us because that's when I realized what we were doing was a great thing, not only for him, but for the rest of the Boston community."
