Penn State Berks students are starting the academic year by getting involved in the local community through the Penn State Berks Day of Service on Sunday, August 31, 2014.
Students will volunteer at Opportunity House, the Reading emergency shelter, where they will serve lunch to the residents; Elmcroft of Reading, a senior living community, to kick off the Adopt-a-Senior Program; Country Meadows Retirement Community, where they will wash the residents? walkers, canes, and wheelchairs; Gring's Mill for a park cleanup; and the Animal Rescue League/Humane Society, where they will make dog and cat toys to donate as well as ?adopt me? bandannas.
They will also begin planning for Camp Out for Hunger, a campus event designed to bring awareness to homelessness in Berks County. During this event, students will camp outside on campus overnight.
The Day of Service will begin at 9 a.m. with a brief discussion of what the day means for the community, as well as why the students volunteered. At 10:30 a.m., students will break into groups based on which project they chose to volunteer for that day. They will return to campus around 1 p.m. for a light lunch and a debriefing session. They will also be asked to write reflection letters of their day, which will be sent to the organizations where they volunteered.
The Penn State Berks Day of Service is coordinated by the Office of Campus Life. For more information, contact Brittney Schlechter, Student Activities Coordinator, at 610-396-6068 or via e-mail at [email protected].