Picture the scene: An army of nearly 1,000 volunteers are hammering, sweeping, painting, gardening, or removing graffiti at community service agencies and nursing homes all over Rochester.
That's the way that hundreds of University of Rochester freshmen will begin their college education on Friday, Sept. 2. From approximately 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., work crews of students, staff, faculty, and alumni of the University will be helping dozens of agencies accomplish projects they couldn't otherwise easily do. A list of some agencies and projects is attached.
It's all part of the University of Rochester's annual celebration of community service, Wilson Day. Volunteers will spend over 4,000 man-and-woman hours doing hundreds of big and little jobs at not-for-profit agencies which minister to everyone from pregnant, unwed teens to the elderly in nursing homes. Volunteers will slap on some 400 gallons of paint on well-worn walls; they'll don 300 pairs of work gloves to attack tough cleaning and repair jobs; they'll weed and clean up in dozens of spots around the city.
The University's new president, Thomas Jackson, and other senior-level administrators will be out on site, working alongside student crews. The purpose of the day of community service is to get students thinking about values and how they'll use their education to make a difference in the world around them.
The City of Rochester has supported Wilson Day by providing a grant to buy project materials such as paint, gardening and building supplies, and cleaning compounds.
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