Lycoming College students spend day on acts of service
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PAT CROSSLEY/Sun-Gazette
Busy applying mulch at the YWCA is Lycoming's Allison Butler. She and several others were busy at work as part of the college's day of service.
Members of sports teams at the college comprised the majority of the almost 200 volunteers who assembled early Saturday morning at the college's Lamade Gymnasium.
"It has been an annual event. We're bringing it back after COVID, so we're trying to go bigger. You know, go big or go home," said Sophia Stabley, director of community service and involvement at the college.
The students were committed to providing services to nonprofits, working in parks and grooming the grounds at a local cemetery. In addition, some students were headed to private homes to perform various jobs.
A full complement of shovels, rakes, trimmers and lawn mowers, some borrowed from the local Habit ReStore, some from the buildings and grounds department at the college, were loaded on a truck in preparation for the students.
Participation in the event was voluntary, although Stabley noted that the coaches of the various sports teams had encouraged players to be there.
"I think they do it because they want to show how strong their team is. When their coaches ask them to participate I think they want to be there," Stabley said.
All the football team members, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's basketball, women's volleyball and cross country teams were all represented, according to Steve Wiser, football coach.
"It's a great idea. Get the kids involved and give back to the community," Wiser said.
Daniel Jennings, a member of the football team at Lycoming, sees the day of service as a responsibility as a member of the team.
"With being on a sports team here at Lycoming, it's always a part of the responsibility we have to hold up that standard because that comes with a lot of weight to carry," Jennings said.
"So, it's always a good opportunity to come out and help the community whenever we have the chance," he added.
With just one week of school left in the semester, the students are headed into a week of final exams before breaking for the summer.
"So, it's really special that they're doing this. This is actually the last weekend before finals. Next Friday is going to be the last day," Stabley said.
The college partnered with the Favors Forward Foundation to plan the day of service.
Shoneez Frelin, a spokesperson for Favors Forward explained that her group focuses on helping families and individuals that are facing life altering hardships, such as illness, death in the family, separation, divorce, deployment...any type of unanticipated event.
Speaking of the people that they serve, Frelin said, "it used to be the elderly, now it's parks, too. Brandon Park, Shaw Park, different places like that. We do the cemeteries. It's just expanded immensely."
And that's where many of the students could be found-picking up litter in Brandon Park, spreading mulch at the YWCA Northcentral PA, doing clean-up and paint prep at a local non-profit and helping beautify the Williamsport Cemetery on Washington Boulevard. That's just a few of the 38 sites around the city which were benefiting from the students' efforts.