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Rescheduled day of service helps local organizations

Reading, Pa. – �鶹��Ƶ 150 �鶹��Ƶ students participated in the university’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service in February after inclement weather postponed the event.

“These volunteer days have become one of the greatest manifestations of Alvernia’s core value of Service, and is perhaps our students’ most compelling expression of their dedication to the Greater Berks County community,” said Jay Worrall, director of the Holleran Center for Community and Global Engagement.  “It is really inspiring to see literally hundreds of remarkable young adults give up their Saturday to do something wonderful for our community.”

Participants provided service for Berks County organizations including the Berks County Parks Department, Phoebe Berks Retirement Community, Hope Rescue Mission Thrift Stores, Habitat for Humanity, Reading Area Firefighter’s Museum and the Reading Pagoda.

“We’d like to thank the fantastic group that volunteered here today,” said Heather Cox, volunteer coordinator of the Phoebe Berks Retirement Community. “Our staff and residents cannot say enough good stuff about them as everything from the bingo prizes to their personalities were praised.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is part of a of community service and is also one of four traditional Days of Service at Alvernia — where students volunteered 40,000 hours annually. Alvernia’s other annual Days of Service include Freshman Orientation Day in August, St. Francis Day in October, and Earth Day in April.

“I participate in days of service because they are a unique way to engage with the community and have fun while making a difference,” said occupational therapy student Courtney Dumais, who completed her 500th hour of service at Alvernia.

Alvernia’s individual, group and mass service ventures are coordinated by the university’s , currently in its 11th year of operation.