UNE organizes first annual Day of Service as hundreds prepare to volunteer locally

Up to 350 members of the University of New England community, including students, faculty and staff, will participate in a day of service on Saturday, April 9, during which they will volunteer at more than 25 local non-profit organizations. Organizers of the event intend for it to become an annual tradition at the university.

According to Theo Dunfey, director of community programs at UNE, the university’s Office of Citizenship and Civic Engagement began contemplating a UNE Day of Service a few years ago. This year, senior Sarah Hoover, who is majoring in Applied Social and Cultural Studies, took on a leadership role in organizing the event and was instrumental in bringing it to fruition.

Participants in the Day of Service will gather at the Biddeford Campus Center at 8:30 a.m., where UNE President Danielle Ripich will address them. Groups will then disperse to take part in activities such as spring clean-up of parks, trails and beaches; painting; woodworking; boatbuilding; winterizing homes; installing smoke alarms in homes of families in need; and interacting with the elderly.

“By setting aside a special day when the UNE community goes out en masse into the community, we make a statement,” said Ripich. “We show that we care, and hopefully we spur others in the community to volunteer as well.”

Sam McReynolds, professor and chair in the Department of Society, Culture and Languages and academic coordinator of the Office of Citizenship and Civic Engagement, said that many people at the university drew inspiration from the recent visit to campus by social activist Paul Loeb who stressed the importance of connecting with others, expressing compassion and experiencing a sense of purpose. “I think this Day of Service is an opportunity for the students, faculty and staff of UNE to experience a sense of purpose and connect with one another and the communities in which we live,” he shared.

Organizations providing volunteer sites include Habitat for Humanity of York County, American Red Cross, Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center, Bon Appetit Meals Program, Maine Veterans’ Homes, Community Action Head Start, Saco Parks and Recreation, Heart of Biddeford and the Northern York County YMCA.