Make it 6 in a Row
In 2011, CSCY volunteers washed fire trucks at the Branchport-Keuka Park Fire Department.
For the sixth straight year, Keuka College has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement.
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), which has administered the Honor Roll since 2006, admitted 642 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from literacy and neighborhood revitalization to supporting at-risk youth.
Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors including the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service-learning is embedded in the curriculum, the school’s commitment to long-term campus-community partnerships, and measurable community outcomes as a result of the service.
In the past year, Keuka College students dedicated nearly 96,000 hours of service to the community. Here are three of the many local organizations and programs that benefit from the time and talents of Keuka students: Milly’s Pantry, a local food pantry; Celebrate Service… Celebrate Yates, an annual day of community service organized by students and the Yates County Chamber of Commerce; and the DRIVE (diversity, responsibility, inclusion, vision, experiential learning) program, a partnership between the Yates ARC, Penn Yan Central School, and the College that provides on-campus learning and life training skills to area students with special needs, ages 18-21.
CNCS oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact, and the American Council on Education. It is a federal agency that engages more than 5 million Americans in service through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs, and leads President Obama’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit www.nationalservice.gov.
Partnering Through the Years
In 2011, CSCY volunteers painted a porch on a Catholic Charities home in Penn Yan.
Over the many years that Celebrate Service … Celebrate Yates (CSCY) has been held, Robin Hoppe can only remember one year when the non-profit she works for did not request CSCY volunteers to come carry out yard work and other repair tasks on the annual day of service.
“I think we missed one because I lost of the track of the date,” said Hoppe, program supervisor for the three Catholic Charities residential homes in Penn Yan. The homes are part of 10 operated by the Diocese of Rochester in Yates, Wayne and Monroe Counties for adults with varying degrees of developmental disabilities.
Like other Yates County non-profits, the “to-do” list is generally longer than the volunteers available to complete needed service, so CSCY—to be held this year on Sunday, April 22—provides a much-needed helping hand to non-profits.
And the theme of CSCY, “Hands Across Yates County,” is as true today as it was nearly 15 years ago when the annual day of community service began as a joint project between Keuka College and the Yates County Chamber of Commerce. Last year, some 280 volunteers, comprised of Keuka students, families, youth and seniors, joined hands to conduct minor repairs, washing, cleaning, outdoor work and other needed tasks for some 30 non-profits – including camps, churches, fire houses, cemeteries, public trails and more—across the county.
“We schedule projects that are ones we never seem to get to, unless planned out like this,” said Hoppe, adding that requested service is usually for yard work such as clearing garden beds at two of the three properties. One house, at 219 Main St., often has its porch furniture polished by CSCY volunteers, and the special treatment lasts through the next year, she said.
Last year, CSCY volunteers began painting the porch of one home, getting the project “off to a good start,” Hoppe said. “It gave us the impetus to get it finished.”
Partnerships are key to the success of CSCY. College and community leaders team up to plan the event, with the College coordinating volunteers and transportation, and the Chamber of Commerce seeking business and service sponsors.
One of those sponsors 15 years ago was the former Clearplas Containers Inc., later acquired by Silgan Plastics.
“As one of the biggest businesses in town, we were an active supporter. We were involved in that partnership from Day One,” recalled Don Oakleaf, a Clearplas/Silgan employee who had also been inducted into the Penn Yan Rotary through former College President Art Kirk Jr.
Fellow Rotarians Sue Anderson of Lyons National Bank and Stacy Wyant of Stork Insurance helped their companies get involved as sponsors too, he said.
As for Oakleaf, he found himself coordinating the Rotary’s portion of CSCY service, where Rotary volunteers bag some 500 seedlings for elementary schoolchildren to plant in honor of Arbor Day, as well as clean a portion of Route 54A, from the water plant at the edge of the village down to Keuka’s Central Avenue “entrance.”
While the Rotary Club conducts its community service on a different Saturday in April than the “official” CSCY Sunday of service when all other volunteers meet and pitch in, the Rotarians are veteran partners in the service, donning the CSCY T-shirts as they, too, put many hands together to make light work.
“We make sure every second-grader in Penn Yan goes home with a bag with three to four seedlings ready to plant,” Oakleaf said. This year may well be the first when the Rotary’s CSCY Saturday and the “official” CSCY Sunday occur back-to-back.
“That approach has been the same for the full 15 years. We [Penn Yan Rotary] have been involved since the beginning,” he said.
Oakleaf said that if he has one “overriding thought” about CSCY, it’s “the overwhelming amount of community spirit involved in the Yates County community. This is one excellent example of the coordinated impact that people can make if they get together and work on it.”
After watching how the Catholic Charities group home residents are also able to work side-by-side the CSCY volunteers when they arrive, Hoppe agrees.
“One of our missions is to include and integrate the folks we serve — the residents at these homes— in the community. The residents help and there’s a real partnership there of working together,” Hoppe said. “We just wish [CSCY] could be longer – it’s never quite enough time – it just flies by!”
Through Friday, those interested in volunteering for this year’s event can submit their commitment form to Keuka College in time to receive a souvenir T-shirt marking the 15th anniversary. Additional volunteers are welcome to sign up, or even walk-in the day of the event, but T-shirts cannot be guaranteed. Lunch at Keuka is also included before volunteers receive transportation to the various work sites. Registration and lunch begins at 11 a.m. at Dahlstrom Student Center Sunday, April 22. Following a brief opening ceremony at 1 p.m., volunteers disperse to conduct community service work from 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Also through Friday, non-profit agencies in Yates County eager to receive service the day of the event as an official work site may contact McKala Accetura or Case Hamilton at (315) 279-5397 or email cscy@keuka.edu
Sign-ups Ongoing for Sponsors, Work Sites and Volunteers for CSCY 2012
Camp Koininea was one site where volunteers worked last year.
While time is running short for local companies or individuals to sponsor the 15th Annual Celebrate Service… Celebrate Yates day of community service, non-profit agencies anxious to serve as host sites or volunteers eager to lend a literal helping hand still have time to sign up.
During Celebrate Service… Celebrate Yates, Yates County students, families or senior citizens interested in making the community a better place to live and work come together to perform painting, cleaning, building, and repairs to help local non-profit agencies and groups. This year’s event will be held Sunday, April 22, and plans are underway to make it a special one with added touches such as entertainment to mark the 15th anniversary.
A collaborative effort of volunteers from Keuka College and the Yates County Chamber of Commerce, Celebrate Service … Celebrate Yates would not be possible without support from local organizations, merchants, businesses, and citizens. Individuals or companies interested in sponsoring the 2012 event for $250 or a donation of goods or supplies have until March 1 to contact Mike Linehan, executive director of the Yates County Chamber of Commerce, at (315) 536-3111, or mike@yatesny.com.
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Day of Service Honors Dr. King
For some, Martin Luther King Day was a day off.
However, for others—including some 60 members of the Keuka College and Penn Yan communities—their day off turned out to be a day on. The volunteers turned out to participate in various community service projects to mark the birthday of the slain civil rights leader.
The event was organized by Keuka College criminal justice majors Danielle Gravel and Cortney Chamberlain to celebrate the Jan. 16 federal holiday.
A Day On, Not a Day Off
Some folks view Martin Luther King Day as a day off.
Not so Keuka College students Danielle Gravel and Cortney Chamberlain. Reflecting the College’s historical commitment to social responsibility, the sophomore criminal justice majors have organized a community day of service Monday, Jan. 16 to mark the federal holiday.
“I participated in the MLK Day of Service last year and wanted to be more involved this year,” said Gravel, a resident of Sidney.
So did Chamberlain.
“I did some cleaning at the Once Again Shoppe last year, and now I have the opportunity to help organize the event,” said the Perry resident.
Danielle Gravel, left, and Cortney Chamberlain.
“Danielle and Cortney are fast learners and I am delighted with the job they have done organizing and promoting the MLK Day of Service,” said Chevy DeVaney, director of multicultural affairs and chair of a committee that coordinated the event designed to benefit local non-profit organizations.
Sandi Perl, supervised ministry student in the Office of Campus Ministries. also serves on the committee.
Volunteers will gather at Penn Yan Methodist Church at 8:30 a.m. for breakfast and be placed into groups. After a welcome from DeVaney, volunteers will head to various sites, including Clinton Crest Manor, the Once Again Shoppe, or remain at the church.
In addition, members of Keuka’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will conduct a hoop clinic at Penn Yan Middle School.
Volunteers will return to the church at 12:30 p.m. for lunch.
The third annual event at Keuka comes three months before Celebrate Service… Celebrate Yates, a day of community service organized by Keuka students and the Yates County Chamber of Commerce. It has helped dozens of non-profit organizations and agencies enhance the quality of life in the region for the past 14 years.
Dr. King and Keuka College have a connection dating back nearly 39 years. He delivered the baccalaureate address and received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree June 16, 1963. He was accompanied to Keuka Park by his wife, Coretta Scott King.
To register for the day of service, or for more information, contact Chamberlain at cechamberlain@keuka.edu, Gravel at dgravel@keuka.edu, or the Office of Multicultural Affairs at (315) 279-5225.
Marcus Whitman Senior Honored
Mary Leet, a resident of Stanley and senior at Marcus Whitman Central School, received Keuka College’s Experiential Learner of the Month Award for November.
Keuka, the national leader in experiential, hands-on learning, established the program to honor high school students whose commitment to experiential, hands-on learning has made a difference in their communities.
Leet will receive a partial academic fellowship to Keuka and qualify for the Experiential Learner of the Year Award, which carries a full academic fellowship to the College.
She was nominated for the award by Michael J. Sullivan, a school counselor at Marcus Whitman.
“I am extremely proud of the tremendous growth Mary has exhibited during high school,” said Sullivan. “She is a confident young woman who knows herself and is concerned about making the world around her better.”
Leet has made her mark at Marcus Whitman in myriad areas, including the performing arts. She was selected to the All-County Chorus this year and is a member of Marcus Whitman’s Women’s Ensemble, Drama Club, Art Club, Cartooning Club, and Creative Writers Club.
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Fort Drum Delivery an “Eye-Opening” Experience
College Chaplain Rev. Eric Detar had mixed emotions when the last of the College’s three shipments to the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) in Afghanistan was “returned to sender.”
“I was disappointed that our Keuka College t-shirts and various supplies didn’t get to the soldiers but on the other hand, ‘return to sender’ meant that they had returned home and I was happy for them,” said Detar.
Detar’s emotions turned to all-out joy when he, Resident Director Tim White and three students presented the t-shirts to their adopted platoon in person at Fort Drum Nov. 18.
“We were invited to attend the CAB’s uncasing ceremony,” said Detar, who was accompanied by Samantha Chesnut, a freshman sociology major from Mexico, N.Y.; Kathryrn Drueschler, a freshman childhood education major from East Aurora; and Amanda Collins, a sophomore early childhoodASL major from Manchester, Conn.
When CAB deployed to Afghanistan two years ago, its colors were cased—taken down, rolled up, and placed into a protective case. Upon its return to Fort Drum, where it is part of the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division, the colors were uncased, unfurled, and flown.
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15 Years of Service…15 Years of Smiles
By Ryan Nichols ’12
Celebrate Service… Celebrate Yates (CSCY), Yates County’s annual community service day, is scheduled April 22, 2012. It marks the 15th anniversary of the event, where volunteers from around Yates County pitch in to make a positive impact on the community.
Since 1996, volunteers have painted, cleaned, repaired buildings, raked, and cleared trails all over Yates County. Last year, 280 volunteers turned out to volunteer at locations such as Camp Cory, Branchport/Keuka Park Fire Department, and St. Michael’s Church.
The event is a joint effort by Keuka College and the Yates County Chamber of Commerce and local organizations, businesses, merchants, and citizens can lend support in a variety of ways. Individuals and families can sign up to volunteer on the work day and non-profits across Yates County may sign up in order to have volunteers perform work on site. Local businesses and merchants can get involved by becoming a financial sponsor or supporting the event with tangible goods and services.
As part of the planning for the 2012 event, members of the CSCY committee will contact representatives from organizations who have previously participated in CSCY to garner feedback Other agencies interested in signing on early to become work sites this year may send an e-mail inquiry to the CSCY team at cscy@keuka.edu.
Sponsorship is key to the success of CSCY and the list from 2011 includes: Fitzgerald Brothers, Graphic Connections, Knapp & Schlappi, Knights of Columbus, Keuka College Student Senate, K-Ventures, Lyons National Bank, Penn Yan Area Council of Churches, Penn Yan Elks Lodge, Penn Yan Kiwanis Club, Roto Salt, Sodexo Food Services, Soldiers & Sailors Hospital, Stork Insurance, Tony Collins – Class of 1977 Celebrity Golf Classic, Yates ARC, and the Yates County Chamber of Commerce.
Sponsorship is $250, and sponsors are listed on the back of the CSCY workday t-shirt as well as in print materials. If you have any questions about sponsorships, contact Mike Linehan at the Yates County Chamber of Commerce at (315) 536-3111 or e-mail him at mike@yatesny.com. For information regarding hosting volunteers or the event in general, contact College Chaplain Eric Detar or McKala Accetura at cscy@keuka.edu. You can also reach Detar at (315) 279-5378 or Accetura at (315) 279-5397.
Top Student, Community Activist Honored
Danielle Hobb, a resident of Chittenango and senior at East Syracuse Minoa High School (ESM), received Keuka College’s Experiential Learner of the Month Award for October.
Keuka, the national leader in experiential, hands-on learning, established the program to honor high school students whose commitment to experiential, hands-on learning has made a difference in their communities.
Hobb will receive a partial academic fellowship to Keuka and qualify for the Experiential Learner of the Year Award, which carries a full academic fellowship to the College. (more…)
Waye to Go!
Joanne Drewno '88 (l) and Kathy Waye, executive director of alumni and family relations.
Executive Director of Alumni and Family Relations Kathy Waye was one of six area residents to receive the Rotary Club of Penn Yan’s Service Above Self award.
Waye and the other recipients, including 1988 Keuka graduate Joanne Drewno of Keuka Comfort Care Home, were honored at a dinner Oct. 25 at the Dresden Hotel.
Keuka College Rotaract Club members Steve Stout (l) and Janelle Davidson (far right) flank award winner Kathy Waye and her daughter, Keuka senior Allie Waye-Walker.
The award “celebrates those who excel at serving others and aspire to high ethical standards.” Those honored make “outstanding” contributions on the job and are “valuable members of the community.”
The other recipients of the first annual award were Kelly Smith (Community Bank N.A.), Sandy Mashewske (Silgan Plastics), Michele Swarthout (Lyons National Bank), and Lisa Conley (5-Star Bank).
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