Director of Media Relations
413/542-8417
AMHERST, MA. - Three hundred Amherst College students will participate in the first annual campus-wide Day of Service on September 14, in commemoration of the many sacrifices made after last September 11. Pre-registration will take place on September 12 in Valentine Dining Hall. Participants may also register on the actual day of the event.
Student-led organizations along with faculty, staff, families and friends from the Amherst community also are invited to take part. Tom Gerety, the president of Amherst College, praised the effort, saying "For me as an undergraduate, community service came just after my courses among my major activities. Whatever good I did in serving my community, it gave back infinitely more to me in learning and insight about myself and others." Amherst College alumni across the country also will join with alumni of rival Williams College in service that day.
At Amherst College the day will begin at 11a.m. in Valentine Dining Hall with a talk by college president Tom Gerety at an opening ceremony. Lunch will follow. Registered volunteers will then proceed to local service sites such as the Salvation Army in Amherst. Volunteers are invited to return to campus for a closing dinner. The organizers of this Day of Service hope to inspire a more service-oriented student body as well as provide services to our local off-campus community.
The Amherst College Day of Service was initiated and organized by the students of the Outreach Council, a student committee of representatives from at least 60 different organizations that are involved in social justice work on campus. Student groups within the Amherst College Community Outreach Program that will be involved in this event include: MassPIRG, SEAS (Students Engaged in Active Service),and Big Sibs. Student affinity groups such as Asian Student Association, Queer/Straight Alliance, Korean American Student Association (KASA), La Causa, Chicana/o Caucus, Black Student Union (BSU), Amherst Christian Fellowship (ACF), Amherst College Diversity Coalition (AC/DC) AAS Amherst Association of Students (AAS), Student Health Educators, Nuestras Raices, Financial Aid and Class Equity (FACE) Amherst Students Acting Politically, and the Amherst Koinoinia Church will also be sponsoring the event. The Day of Service will provide an opportunity for these groups to work collaboratively in reaching out to the local community.
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