Spotlight on Community Service

By: Morgan E. Schutz

ALBANY, N.Y., Dec. 6, 2007- In a city like Albany, the gap between income levels is severe, and the amount of needs among residents is magnified.

Albany, a city of nearly 100,000 residents, is New York State’s third biggest metropolitan area. According to the 2000 census report, 28% of Albany’s population per capita is living below the poverty line. While this data alone speaks of the apparent need in the region, it also draws light onto a more eye-opening statistic. New York City, the states most densely populated city, has nearly 8% less of their per capita population living in poverty, with 20.7% reportedly below the poverty level.

“There are a lot of needs in the city,” said Joan Horgan, the Director of Campus Ministry at The College of Saint Rose, “being involved in community service is an important way of creating the community atmosphere and letting those in need know that we haven’t forgotten them.”

A community flourishes as a result of its members and their ability and desire to serve one another. A group of people’s ability to offset some of the hardships faced by those who are living in poverty comes in the form of service outreach programs. Albany is home to hundreds of community service organizations, which together supply an immeasurable amount of services for community members from providing winter apparel to building affordable homes.

“Community service is a very beneficial way of people getting to know each other. People who come from different circumstances coming together,” said Kenneth Scott, director of Community Service at The College of Saint Rose.

As home to several large colleges, Albany has many able hands and willing individuals who step-up and participate in various community service organizations around the city. In fact, each campus has its own variety of on campus divisions of larger, national community service organizations.

In a college community such as Albany however, the number of hands available is nowhere near the hands willing. According to Scott, it is estimated that only 10% or 500 of the nearly 5,000 enrolled students at Saint Rose participate in even a single community service event during the course of the school year.

“There are 35,000 children in need within the Capital Region alone, there is never enough volunteers to serve the needs,” said Jenn Hyde, the program director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region.

The services provided through community service organizations such as Capital District Habitat for Humanity, Best Buddies, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Regional Food Bank of Albany and Hunger Action Network of NY State help to ensure that individuals are able to live a little more fully and focus on family development rather than where they’re going to sleep tonight.

Recruiting volunteers is vital to the success of these organizations. Knowing what organizations are available helps individuals seek the assistance they might need, but it also directs individuals who want to get involved find a project that they feel passionate about. The greatest struggle in running a community service program is finding the manpower, in the form of dedicated volunteers to help provide the services on a regular basis.

“You generally don’t need to recruit individuals who need your services,” said Mark Quandt, the executive director of Regional Food Bank of Northeastern NY, “they are looking for help, and so they will seek it. Volunteers are the other hand are always needed, and we are always looking for more.”

The decision to become involved however is often passed by due to the commitment they demand, it is a time commitment, and in today’s society with peoples busy schedules there often is not the attempt to make service fit into their lives. However, for some, the personal benefits of devoting oneself to service projects outweigh the effort and time put in.

“I get so much more out of helping others than they get from me. It is a great learning experience and no two community service projects are the same,” said Kelly Davidson, a junior at Saint Rose who is involved in a wide-array of service projects. “I get a feeling that is almost impossible to explain; the sense of feeling alive, like you are really accomplishing something and making a difference in someone’s life is irreplaceable.”

In a city so alive and exuberant the opportunities to get involved are unlimited.

At Saint Rose there are several distinct opportunities for students to get involved in community service:

Urban Launch is a program unique to The College of Saint Rose that offers incoming freshman the opportunity to come to campus three days early and participate in service-oriented activities while getting to know likeminded peers.

Sponsored in part by the college’s Office of Community Service, under the directorship of Scott, Urban Launch had 57 participants and 12 student leaders this past August.

“I think that deciding to do Urban Launch was one of the best choices I ever made; I met new people, and got involved with the new community I was apart of,” said freshman Amy Lamparelli, who participated in Urban Launch.

Another service program, unique to this area and sponsored through Saint Rose is Camp Kesem: The College of Saint Rose Branch.

“Camp Kesem provides a week long, free of charge, camp for kids in our community whose parents have or have died of cancer,” said Kristin Fenn the campus founder and chair, and a Saint Rose senior.

The group of dedicated volunteers who host this branch of the camp is currently small, only 40 individuals offering their time and services to this cause. The volunteers they do have undertake a huge task each year in order to ensure a successful camp is put on the following summer from hosting fundraisers to raise funds and awareness to recruiting campers, counselors and finding professionals willing to donate their time.

Because this is a student run program, it is important that new volunteers step in and become involved in order to sustain the longevity of this program in Albany. “Within the next few years all of the original members will have graduated. We need to start handing over positions and responsibilities,” said Fenn.

Providing this unique experience for Capital Region children who are facing tragic circumstances, is in and of itself a rewarding experience as one might imagine, “the feeling of the campers thanking us for giving them the Camp Kesem experience, and the smiles and tears we shared makes it all worthwhile,” said Fenn.

Additionally, there are many community service programs in the region that in addition to being a national and regional organization, they also have programs through local colleges.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region is one such organization that operates all three levels.

This local branch of the national one-to-one mentoring organization known around the world for its mission to help children reach their greatest potential, is helping hundreds of children in the Capital Region annually.

In 2006, 650 children ranging from 6 to 14-years of age were served in the Capital Region through this program, according to Hyde, the Capital Region’s program director. However, Hyde also said that there are always children on the waiting list to be matched, so to some extent, the success of the program relies on the time and energy of dedicated volunteers.

Volunteers for this organization can help in two ways. High school students who want to get involved can volunteer at a site-based program, where they will interact with children at a specific location—such as an after school program. Adults age 18 and older are potentially eligible to become matches.

Volunteers are asked to commit to at least one year, and should plan to meet with their little brother or sister several times a month, for a few hours each time. The matches are made based on common interests so the big and little brothers/sisters can participate in activities that are of interest to both of them.

“For me, seeing those kids smile, and get out and do things they may not have had an opportunity to do without their big brother or big sister that’s the most rewarding aspect,” said Hyde.

According to Hyde there is no typical volunteer, anyone willing to give his or her time and heart to a child, and help that young person to excel would be a great asset to the organization. Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region is always accepting new volunteers.

Kara Risley, a junior at The College of Saint Rose has been a Big Sister to Albany resident Sarah Mergel, 11, through the college’s branch of this organization since September 2005.

“It’s rewarding to know that hanging out with me makes her happy,” said Risley. The duo enjoys a wide variety of activities including ice-skating, shopping, playing video games and Mergel has even accompanied her Big Sister on summer vacations and visited Risley’s hometown during college breaks.

“I like having Kara as a big sister because she is nice and fun,” said Mergel, “She cares about my family and me. I know I can count on her if I need anything.”

Both Risley and Mergel said that their experiences with Big Brothers Big Sisters have been everything they had expected it to be.

“I would really like to be able to hang out with her more,” said Risley, “I do all I can for her, but I can’t give her everything, it’s hard to say no.”

The most disappointing part of working for the organization is “knowing that there is often times kids who don’t get matches. It would be nice if there were mentors on the waiting list rather than kids,” said Hyde.

A second community service organization in the Capital Region that has ties in the college and regional community as well as nationally is Habitat for Humanity.

This national organization aims to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world—region by region, by making adequate shelter a matter of conscience and action.

Some may argue that this organization is confronting one of the biggest issues for Albany residents; “The ability to provide safe and affordable homes for the lower income families is a major issue in our city,” said Horgan, of Saint Rose campus ministry.

Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of volunteers and then sells them to homeowner/ partner families at no profit to the organization. Homeowners are still responsible for a down payment and the monthly mortgage payments and must invest time and labor into assisting in the building of their new home as well as the houses of others.

Volunteers assist in a variety of ways, including the building of these homes, even if they previously have little to no carpentry experience.

“Learning a skill, seeing your hard work develop and the appreciation from the homeowners you work alongside is what makes volunteering for this organization so rewarding,” said Uriella Perkins, a Saint Rose senior and the president of the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

There are also many organizations throughout Albany, that do not necessarily come onto college campuses to recruit volunteers, but that are active in their regional community.

The Hunger Action Network of N.Y. State was founded in 1982, according to their website the network is a “statewide anti-hunger coalition that combines grassroots organizing at the local level with state level research, education and advocacy to address the root causes of hunger, including poverty.”

This non-for-profit organization stocks food pantries and soup kitchens with fresh vegetables and fruits from local farmers and also offers nutritional education to community members and providers such as daycares and homes for the elderly.

One major call for volunteers through this organization is to glean fields—or harvest donated portions of a farmer’s crop—that he or she would not be able to tend to in time for resale. While not necessarily the easiest of tasks, it is a unique opportunity to experience farm work firsthand while also providing a great service to the community.

“Gleaning is a good program because unwanted produce is harvested to feed some of our nation’s homeless and hungry,” said Paula Ulmer, a N.Y. 4-H leader who encourages her members to participate in these projects throughout the Hudson Valley Region. “It is great to see these crops—that would likely go unused if it weren’t for this organization, go to food pantries and community dining services and feed hundreds of individuals.”

Another organization that serves the people of Albany is the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York/ Albany, this organization runs out of a headquarters in Latham, and serves much of the Capital Region.

The Regional Food Bank of Albany is a non-profit organization that works to alleviate hunger and eliminate food waste. The organization works directly with the food industry to obtain “edible but un-sellable” products. These products that may be un-sellable for a number of reasons including cosmetically unappealing, or an over production of that product are then distributed to food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, day cares and residential homes for the elderly and developmentally disabled.

In the Capital Region, the agencies that Regional Food Bank provide food for serve 40,000 individuals a week, 35% of which are children, according to Quandt, the director of Regional Food Bank of Northeastern NY.

“There is a tremendous need for our services in Albany. Several millions of pounds of food is dispersed to agencies throughout the Capital Region each year,” said Quandt, “it’s unfortunate to know that as things get harder for people, like currently, with the increase in fuel price and the cost of heating homes, more people will be placed in the position where they need this extra help.”

The food bank can always use volunteers, and there are jobs for nearly anyone of any age who is willing to donate some time. Children as young as first grade can assist in the warehouse, which is where the greatest need lies. Volunteers in the warehouse help to sort and repackage food and nonfood items in suitable containers and quantities for redistribution.

Another need for volunteers is in the department of fundraising. Individuals can serve on committees, and help man tables during coin drop fundraising events.

“We always have plenty of volunteers during the holiday season—from September through the new year, but during the summer months we are always looking for more help, there is never enough,” said Quandt.

Last year nearly 5,000 volunteers helped Regional Food Bank meet their commitments to the region.

“Knowing that we’re providing food for people who wouldn’t eat otherwise is certainly one of the most rewarding aspects of working for this organization,” said Quandt, “but also seeing the generosity of our community is a great feeling, seeing kind people giving back is wonderful.”

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There are such varied opportunities to become involved in community service in Albany, everyone potentially could find a program to become passionate about. Picking a program to become involved is half the challenge of getting involved; picking something that meets one’s own needs first.

The project you become involved with should “tug at you heartstrings, everyone has something that they feel strongly towards, and this is what should lead them towards choosing a community service organization to become involved in,” said Horgan.

From all sides and perspectives, being involved in community service is a life changing experience. Those being served, and those serving each stand to gain immeasurable benefits from these organizations and projects.

Scott said that being involved in community service allows one to, “walk away from what will have been a life impacting experience and a deeper perspective on life.”