To the Editor:
Community service, volunteerism, and service learning are alive at Rensselaer. Rensselaer community participation is not only a way to make a difference, but it is also a great way to make new friends, have fun, and be enriched intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally. Last year students, faculty, and staff contributed over 11,000 hours in First-Year Experience programs through various services including tutoring local elementary school children, working in our parks, sorting seeds for local gardens, and sewing the Habitat quilt now hanging in the Union to raise money for the student-built house in the Hillside neighborhood.
There are many exciting programs planned for the coming year, starting today, August 27, from 11 am to 3 pm. The annual Community Service Fair kicks off the year in the lobby of the Rensselaer Union. There will be about 20 local agencies on hand to share information with students about volunteer opportunities in their organizations. Among the organizations will be Big Brothers & Big Sisters, the ARK, the ARK Community Charter School, Joseph’s House & Shelter, and Capital District Community Gardens.
The first Community Service Day of the year kicks off this Saturday, August 30 with projects at Oakwood Cemetery, Troy Area United Ministries, the Castleton Habitat for Humanity site, and the Troy Boys and Girls Club. Noteworthy is the new registration process for participating in Community Service Day programs. If a student wants to participate, they must first create an account and set their own password. This account will allow for individual students, staff, and faculty members to register for community service activities with just a couple clicks of the mouse, and make it possible to track an individual’s volunteer involvement over time.
In addition to the blood drives continuing monthly at RPI in 2003-2004, RPI is being honored this year for its active involvement, by being asked to be a local host of the national Save A Life Tour Museum on Friday, September 5. The museum focus is on the processing of donated blood for people in need. The SALT Museum will be on campus at the RPI Houston Field House, from 10 am until 3 pm, and all visitors will be treated to refreshments. In addition, RPI will be hosting a special blood drive that day at the Field House; to reserve a time, contact ext. 6864. Regular monthly blood drives commence on campus on September 17 in the DCC Great Hall.
Another exciting development this year is the announcement that Alpha Phi Omega, a national service fraternity, will be awarding $1000 scholarships to three members of the incoming freshmen class during the fall semester. These are merit awards, based on the strength of the student’s involvement in community service and leadership. Freshmen applicants must submit an essay along with a list of their involvement, postmarked no later than 6 pm on Friday, September 15. Information on specific requirements is posted on the APO Web site, http://apo.union.rpi.edu/scholarship.html/.
There is much more on the horizon. Check out the community service website found at http://www.rpi.edu/fye/commservice/. You will find not only information on the programs noted, but also a whole host of resources and opportunities for community involvement and civic engagement, including a calendar of events, voter registration applications, neighborhood, city, and national newspapers and links, information on special events such as the Community Service Fair and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Embrace the Dream Celebration, and academic and work-study opportunities to serve the local community. Please feel free to contact me to find out how you can get involved at fye@rpi.edu or stop by our tables at the community service and the activity fairs this week.
