S. L. FULLER
News Editor
As we move closer and closer to winter, and with it the holiday season, the feeling of altruism grows. Getting into the holiday spirit not only includes pumpkin-flavored items and scarves, but also giving back and spreading kindness. The upcoming Fredonia Days of Service is the perfect opportunity to do just that.
These annual Days of Service go from Nov. 6 through Nov. 12 and include 17 different community service opportunities and service learning projects. One special event included in the Fredonia Days of Service is Fall Sweep, which will take place on Nov. 9. This will be the event’s 10th year.
To celebrate, there will be a slideshow of pictures of past Fall Sweeps to be shown at the registration event; guest speakers including President Dr. Virginia Horvath and mayor of Fredonia, Stephen Keefe; and, of course, there will be cake.
Fall Sweep is one of the campus’ most well-attended community service events — almost 600 participants last year. Senior public relations majors Jordyn Holka and Lauren Orlowski are both returning co-chairs of the event. Since they are both seniors, they have enlisted the help of junior public relations major Kali Fyock to show her the ropes and pass the proverbial Fall Sweep torch.
“I love fall sweep. I have so much fun planning it,” said Holka. “I’m going to miss it next year but I think we’re leaving it in good hands.”
When asked why the event was so popular among students, Holka said she thought it was because it’s a simple activity that makes a big impact.
“It’s a fairly easy activity to do. You’re just going out and raking. But … it builds rapport between the campus and the community,” said Holka. “It’s kind of an in-your-face way to give back to them because [students go] right to peoples’ houses. So I think it’s just a good experience for everybody involved. I think people have fun with it too.”
Fredonia’s chapter of the Delta Chi fraternity is a regular Fall Sweep participant. Senior business marketing and public relations double major and current member of Delta Chi, Axel Melo-Dejesus, says he’s been participating ever since he came to Fredonia. Melo-Dejesus is also the president of club baseball and wants the team to get involved with Fall Sweep for the first time.
“Giving back is kind of unheard of in this day and age,” said Melo-Dejesus in a recent phone interview. “It speaks a lot about [someone’s character] when they do it and it feels good.“
Melo-Dejesus went on to say how Delta Chi accumulated the most completed community service hours out of all the Greek organizations on campus last year. The Fredonia Days of Service are not the only days in which people can do community service. Instead, one of the goals of the event is to sustain and have students continue to give back after Nov. 12 comes around.
“Some people do some things as a one-time opportunity. There’s some that do ongoing [service],” said Joyce Harvard Smith, coordinator of Fredonia’s Volunteer and Community Services. “There’s so much of a need for volunteers in the community because the majority of these are nonprofit organizations. They really need the help and so they do rely on our volunteers. We always get really good feedback from the agencies and they really appreciate the students’ help.”
The annual Fredonia Days of Service is organized by the Office of Volunteer and Community Service and co-chaired by Smith and Erin Mroczka, director of First Year and Transition Programs.There are also five committee members made up of faculty, staff and students.
“What we want to do is keep with Fredonia’s commitment to community engagement,” said Smith. “I always feel that it’s important for students to be able to give back and also to do something meaningful and worthwhile: making a difference in the lives of others.”
While college students may have a reputation for being the opposite of altruistic, the overwhelming turnout of past Fredonia Days of Service events proves otherwise. In fact, the university has only 300 rakes to hand out to the nearly 600 Fall Sweep participants, which is why Holka says it’s started asking business owners to donate rakes.
Melo-Dejesus says his favorite community service event is the Easter Egg Hunt that Delta Chi hosts every year for local children. Sure, some clubs and organizations are required to complete a certain amount of community service hours, but that doesn’t mean they’re not enjoying it.
“We get a lot of [Delta Chi] members who like to give back — it’s definitely not a drag” said Melo-Dejesus. “It feels better to give than to receive.”
To learn more or sign up for the Fredonia Days of Service events, go to http://www.fredonia.edu/campuslife/volunteer.