JAMES LILLIN
Staff Writer
Walking around the Fredonia campus is usually a pleasant time, with breathtaking foliage and relatively clean streets. Still, sophomore musical theatre major Patrick Brett makes a good point: “There are a lot of cigarette butts on the ground for a smoke-free campus.”
The garbage situation only gets worse outside of campus; Temple Street is frequently filled with discarded food and drink containers, especially as the weekend approaches.
To combat this, senior exercise science major Casey Swartz decided to organize a group of people who could help keep Fredonia clean and improve the campus’s relationship with the town.
“Being a runner, I go down Temple a lot,” said Swartz. “And a couple of times going up and down Temple I just saw a ton of trash on the streets.”
So Swartz, president of Fredonia’s Rotaract Club, decided to reach out to the Fredonia Department of Public Works to obtain vests, gloves and garbage bags to help clean up the town and village.
From then on, the Rotaract Club’s new “Clean Up Crew” has been meeting 5-7 p.m. every Monday to help clean up Temple Street and the downtown Fredonia area before its weekly 9 p.m. club meetings.
Swartz said, “If anybody interested wants to come join to the Clean Up Crew or Rotaract, they’re more than happy to just show up.”
The Rotaract Club hopes to keep its goal of community involvement and volunteer work going this semester, with the annual “Courage in Motion” gala. For this event, it partners with a local group to help raise funds for a good cause.
Swartz says that the best part about organizing the gala is “seeing a smile on some people’s faces, seeing the enthusiasm from people when you say ‘we’re going to try to raise funds for [your] organization,’” adding, “people are just so appreciative.”
This year the gala is being held on April 22 at the Fredonia Beaver Lodge from 5:30-10:30 p.m., with the Rotaract Club donating all of the proceeds to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
“The most important [events at the gala] are our guest speakers,” said Swartz, “children who have had their wishes granted [by the Make-A-Wish foundation.]”
Tickets for the gala are available for $13 for students and $20 for adults at the Fredonia Ticket Office.
Students interested in other volunteer opportunities might also consider the upcoming ‘Beach Sweep’ on April 23, from 12-2 p.m. at Point Gratiot Beach. This event is jointly sponsored by the English Department, Campus Sustainability Committee and the Office of Volunteer and Community Service at Fredonia.
Senior English major Ella Rubio said, “I can’t wait to give back to the community by participating in the beach cleanup … Point Gratiot is a breathtakingly beautiful place and I’m excited to be a part of its enhancement.”