Seniors and Take Five Scholars will have a last chance to give back to the Rochester community before graduation with Senior Wilson Day Tuesday, May 15.
The event is also open to any undergraduates who would like to participate. Any student, faculty or staff member can go out for an afternoon of community service at any local agency.
Senior James Davenport proposed the idea to the Senior Class Council and secured prizes for the participants. Davenport is coordinating the day, setting up sites and recruiting volunteers.
?I thought it would be an opportunity for everyone to give back to the community during the day and then celebrate their accomplishments with their friends at night,? Davenport said.
So far, community service arrangements are underway with 15 to 20 agencies. Davenport hopes to double this number before the event.
The agencies include the Mt. Hope Family Center, where there will be a carnival for the kids, and Sojourner House, where students will be able to help out with the annual spring cleaning.
However, this event is not in any way mandatory.
?The difference between regular Wilson Day in the fall is that Wilson Day is required for freshmen. They are put onto buses and go out to a predetermined site,? Davenport said.
?Senior Wilson Day has a tremendous amount of freedom involved.I am encouraging seniors to be site leaders, go out and plan the events and then bring their friends to the sites to do community service together?
There are material benefits also. Seniors who participate get $5 of free games at Jillian?s. Davenport is also working on getting funding for free T-shirts.
Vice President and University Dean of Students Paul Burgett hopes that the event will continue on into the future.
?I thought Senior Wilson Day, together with the freshman Wilson Day, were appropriate ?anchor? experiences of students? undergraduate years. Perhaps it will become a tradition,? Burgett said.
For more information on the event, contact Davenport at jd001g@mail or stop by the Community Service Network office.
