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| By G. Michael Dobbs Managing Editor CHICOPEE Bus after bus pulled into the Elms College on Wednesday afternoon loaded with students who had spent the day volunteering. Their reward was an ice cream sundae bar set up in the courtyard in front of the Dooley Campus Center. Over 300 students, staff, faculty and alumni participated in the second annual Community Service Day. Classes were cancelled from 11:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. so members of the Elms College Community could participate in the event. The volunteers were sent to locations in Chicopee, Holyoke and Springfield that included the Chicopee Department of Public Works, Friends of the homeless in Springfield, Holyoke Public Schools, new North Citizens Council in Springfield, St. Joan/St. George School in Chicopee and Loaves and Fishes in Springfield. Among the tasks tackled by the volunteers was providing childcare, visiting the elderly, cleaning streets and schools, serving meals at soup kitchens and painting homeless shelters. The president of the school, Dr. James Mullen, told the Chicopee Herald the day of volunteering "sets the tone for the year ahead." Mullen said, "Elms College was founded in 1928 by the Sisters of St. Joseph, whose mission is uniting neighbor with neighbor with God. So service has always been an integral part of our educational traditions, and one of the goals of our core curriculum. We take great pride in educating reflective, principles and creative learners who are rooted in faith and who respond to their civic and social obligation with compassionate hearts." Looking at the returning volunteers, Mullen said they "do it because they believe in it." Chicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette was at the College at the conclusion of the service day and noted how he had seen a group of Elms College students had cleaned up Miller Street in the downtown area. Noting that both and Mullen are relatively new to their jobs he said, "For Dr. Mullen and I this is a beginning of a very fruitful partnership." The idea of the day of community service came from Elms College student Matt Zybert who said, "Service learning is so important at Elms College, so I though that it would be great to have a designated day where everyone did community service together. It is such a close community here and we will be able to take a whole day to focus on the impact we can have as citizens of the world." |