Wilson Day is Synonymous with Community Service

For the 11th year, freshman orientation at the University of Rochester heads off campus Friday, Aug. 27, to almost 60 sites in Rochester and its suburbs for the annual Wilson Day of community service. The Class of 2003, faculty and staff-totaling more than 1,200 people-will assist local nonprofit organizations on an array of projects.

And the next day, University of Rochester alumni in Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco and Atlanta have volunteered for the first Wilson Day USA, a project of the Alumni Relations & Development Office and its UR Involved program. More than 40 alumni have signed up to work in their home communities Aug. 28.

Through Wilson Day, the University recognizes the importance of service and uses the day's events to help freshmen bond with each other, their college, and the Rochester community. Matthew Moffa, a junior from Ligonier, Pa., is Wilson Day coordinator.

More than 70 percent of Rochester undergraduates are involved in community service projects. The Community Service Network, an organization managed by students, organizes mini-Wilson Days during the year, and matches individual students and campus groups with volunteer opportunities.

Wilson Day is named for the Joseph C. Wilson family, whose members have been benefactors of the University of Rochester and the Rochester community. Once president and chairman of Xerox Corp., Wilson was an alumnus of the University and a philanthropist interested in housing, health, education, social services, and the arts.

A $3,500 grant from the city of Rochester helps pay for some materials.