{"id":97,"date":"2019-07-17T18:17:52","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:17:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wcsu.wpengine.com\/news-archives\/2014westerndayofservice\/"},"modified":"2020-03-20T17:11:21","modified_gmt":"2020-03-20T17:11:21","slug":"2014westerndayofservice","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/2014westerndayofservice\/","title":{"rendered":"2014 Western Day of Service"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DANBURY, CONN. <\/strong>\u2014 They cleared trails and pulled weeds. They painted walls and washed windows. They served a hot meal to those in need. But, most importantly, Western Connecticut State University<\/a> students, faculty and staff let the community know that they were committed to donating their time to lend a hand wherever it was needed.<\/p>\n

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\nOn Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014, more than 250 members of the university pitched in for a total of 500 hours and made a difference by helping a variety of charitable organizations and agencies.<\/p>\n

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The goal of the event was also to help the community recognize WCSU students and their commitment to community and to create an awareness of the opportunity and the value of volunteerism as part of a college education.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe know there\u2019s a lot of community service going on that involves our students,\u201d said WCSU Dean of Student Affairs Dr. Walter Cramer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Among the places the WCSU volunteers served were Ann\u2019s Place<\/a>, The Danbury Railway Museum<\/a>, the Danbury Fire Department<\/a>, Tarrywile Park<\/a> and Ellsworth Avenue Elementary School<\/a>. Those helping the Danbury Music Center<\/a> assisted with auditions for its annual performance of \u201cThe Nutcracker.\u201d Those helping at the Danbury Public Library<\/a> tagged books, while others will helped serve breakfast to those in need at the Dorothy Day Hospitality House.<\/a><\/p>\n

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In a continuing effort to promote community service at the university, Cramer said he is in the process of making it easier for students to get involved by creating a website for community agencies to post opportunities. Cramer also said that many of the university\u2019s sports teams already dedicate time to helping in the community.<\/p>\n

Bill McNamara of the Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut<\/a> said a group of students showed up to help out at the ESCAPE to the Arts<\/a> building on Main Street. They sanded the handrail for the stairs leading from the front door to the main floor.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey worked hard,\u201d McNamara said. \u201cThey took off years of paint and it was a very nice job.\u201d<\/p>\n

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To see a photo gallery of WCSU students at work during Western’s Day of Service, visit https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/media\/set\/?set=a.10152671181213376.1073741827.14059848375&type=1<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York.\u00a0 Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England\u2019s best small private universities.<\/em><\/p>\n

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