As many as 500 Union students will spread out across Schenectady and the surrounding region Saturday, Sept. 7, for the College’s largest day of community service.
Representing Greek life, athletics, clubs, organizations and others, the students will be joined by faculty, staff and alumni to clean up parks and public spaces and provide other help as needed.
Started in 1996, the event has been known as John Calvin Toll Day since 2001. It is coordinated by the College’s Kenney Center for Community Engagement and Outreach and helps strengthen Union’s commitment to the city and region through these service-learning opportunities.
There is one change for first-year students: the event is typically held in late September or early October, but it was moved up this year to be included as part of orientation. All first-year students are encouraged to participate.
“We are very excited for the local and Union College communities to collaborate on projects throughout the Capital Region,” said Kevin Trigonis, director of Community Engagement and Outreach. “It is an amazing experience for everyone involved to build long-lasting relationships and learn from one another.”
The earlier date for the event also allows the students to volunteer at some of the notable festivals taking place that day, including the Little Italy Street Fest on Jay Street, the Greek Festival at St. George Greek Orthodox Church and the Caribbean Multi-Cultural festival in Central Park.
For the first time, students will also be working with the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp. (DSIC) to help clean up Gateway Park, the site of an end-of-summer concert the day before.
John Calvin Toll was a member of Union’s first graduating class in 1799. He was the great-great-grandfather of Al Hill ’46, a retired attorney from Buffalo who died in 2007.
The community service project is supported by a gift from Hill and his wife, Perrie. The Hills created the fund to encourage Union students to undertake volunteer service.
“We believe that the experiences from this activity will carry over beyond graduation and enrich not only those they serve but also the volunteers,” said Hill in announcing the gift.