September 25, 2006
Queens, NY -
Despite a period of inclement weather, St. John’s University
covered the five boroughs in red and white, as more than 1,000
volunteers celebrated University Service
Day on September 23. Wearing T-shirts tagged with the
event’s title: “What a Difference a Day Makes,” alumni, staff,
faculty and students reached out to over 85 sites throughout the
community on the fifth anniversary of the event.
The Roy Wilkins Park in South Queens was home to nearly 75
volunteers, each contributing in a unique way. University
administrators could be seen helping to clean areas of the park, as
the dance and cheer teams offered clinics to local children.
University Librarians focused on organizing and replenishing the
park’s Little House of Knowledge – a small book facility in the
park, while participants in Project Reconnect, a University program
that aims to reconnect high school drop-outs with society, shared
inspirational success stories.
St. John’s Mixed Chorus offered its musical talents at the Our
Lady of Consolation Nursing Home in West Islip, NY with a
mid-afternoon performance for the residents and the St. John’s
Sunday Community entertained residents at Sts. Joachim and Anne
Residence in Brooklyn, NY with a concert and a sing-along.
The College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions initiated
a professional service, as the sixth-year students and faculty
teamed up to offer pharmaceutical counseling to members of the
community at five different locations.
University Service Day also took place on the Queens Campus, as
members of the Liberty Partnership Program, which was designed to
provide support services for at-risk high school aged students,
offered tutoring and mentoring sessions, and a group of St. John’s
University employees partnered with Care to Knit, Inc. to make
afghans to donate to the needy.
On a day designed to honor the works of St. Vincent de Paul, the
St. John’s community banded together and touched the lives of
thousands. From nursing homes, hospitals and shelters to
parks and schools, the volunteers experienced first-hand what a
difference they can make.
One of the core values of the University, service has always
been a critical part of learning and working at St. John’s.
University Service Day is designed, in part, to help build on-going
relationships with the surrounding community and with the Alumni,
many of whom have gone on to fulfill the Vincentian Mission in
their professional careers.
University Service Day is sponsored by the Service Opportunity
Council, a community building arm of St. John’s Vincentian Mission
Council. Additional support was provided by corporate
sponsors: Sodexho, Coca-Cola, Park Avenue Bank and Concepts
Unlimited, as well as a private alumni donation.
For additional information, please contact Elizabeth Reilly,
Assistant Director of Media Relations at St. John’s University, at
(718) 990-5789 or e-mail requests to papettie@stjohns.edu.