Students Pitch In for "Big Event"
- Members of the Cal U Dance Team at California First United Methodist Church.
- Shannon Livezey, of Alpha Sigma Tau, at a home in California, Pa.
- Shannon Livezey, of Alpha Sigma Tau, at a home in California, Pa.
- Shannon Livezey, of Alpha Sigma Tau, at a home in California, Pa.
- Hailee Remington, a member of the Cal U Dance Team.
- Vulcan mascot Blaze pitches in at Mechanic Street Park.
- Olivia Taylor, of the Medical Interest Club, pulls weeds for a homeowner.
- Michael Mastandrea, of Sigma Tau Gamma, cleans windows at the California Area Public Library.
- Brett Kusniar, of Alpha Kappa Lambda, tosses weeds into a bin at Mechanic Street Park.
- Eric Townsend (left), Derek Heuges and Andrew Lutz clean up debris at the library.
- Tucker Januchowski, Jacob Janicki and Mitch Neterer give library windows a shine.
- Blaze and members of Alpha Kappa Lambda.
- Eric Townsend (left), Matt McMillen and Andrew Lutz spruce up the library grounds.
With 51 sites in and around the borough of California in need of some spring cleaning, 415 faculty, staff and student volunteers from Cal U rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
They all volunteered as part of The Big Event, Cal's annual day of service to the community.
"The Big Event was a truly rewarding experience," said Mari Boyle, vice president of Student Government, who took a lead role lead in organizing the day along with staff from Student Affairs.
"It feels great to play a part in organizing an event where the student body engages with one another and gives back to their community. This event means so much to the residents of California, Pa., and you can tell from talking with them that they look forward to it each year."
Volunteers fanned out to community sites and residences to provide help. Six members of the Vulcans football team cleaned up the Phillipsburg cemetery; the Cal U Dance Team spruced up California United Methodist Church; Sigma Tau Gamma members raked leaves and cleaned windows at the California Area Public Library; Alpha Kappa Lambda made the Mechanic Street Park more welcoming to the public; and volunteers from Alpha Sigma Tau, the Medical Interest Club and the Social Work Association cleaned patio furniture, pulled weeds and painted a fence at a local housing development.
"We represent Cal U and want to make our community better," said sophomore DaShawn Bray, a biology major. "We want our community to be nice and clean. We don't just want to go to school here; we want to be involved."
Alumni Earl Gilpin '88 and Tracey Gilpin '90, '95, '14 volunteered with their daughter, sophomore Tracey Gilpin, a graphic design major.
"Giving back is important, no matter where you can do it," Tracey Gilpin said. "I try to stay involved with Cal U; we were very involved as students."
"It's a good way to give back," said junior Angel Hart Funk, a communication studies major and member of Alpha Sigma Tau. "Our community does a lot for us, and it's not too much to spend one Saturday giving something back."
"A lot of young people use the (Mechanic Street) park," said sophomore Even Quattro, a sophomore business administration major. "We should have things nice - no trash or debris."
"Community service humbles me," said junior Jennifer Talley, a communication studies major and dance team member. "College gives us a false sense of reality; we have lots of amenities on campus. This is a wake-up call - not everyone has that opportunity."