On December 8, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) announced the 2014 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, with Penn State Schuylkill being named to the list for the second consecutive year.
Each year for the past two years, Schuylkill students have completed over 10,000 hours of service throughout the surrounding community. Local organizations that have benefitted from their efforts include the Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 Special Olympics, the Salvation Army, Schuylkill Women in Crisis, Tuscarora State Park, Rest Haven Nursing Home, the Hillside S.P.C.A., The Schuylkill Haven Center, Servants for All, and many more.
Additionally, the students continue to increase the campus' contribution to THON, the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. THON, the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, raises money for the Four Diamonds Fund at Hershey Medical Center to help children who are being treated for pediatric cancer. Last year, Penn State Schuylkill's THON raised over $56,000, ranking the campus fifth amongst the Commonwealth campuses. In the past three years, the Schuylkill THON committee has raised more than $80,000 from the local community.
"In addition to a great sense of pride and accomplishment, students experience many opportunities for leadership development as they participate in community service projects," said Dr. Kelly M. Austin, chancellor of Penn State Schuylkill. "We know that these students will someday become great leaders in whatever path they choose."
Inspired by the thousands of college students who traveled across the country to support relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll highlights the role colleges and universities play in solving community challenges. As a result, more students are likely to pursue a lifelong path of civic engagement that achieves meaningful and measurable outcomes in their communities.
CNCS, the federal agency for volunteering and service, has administered the award since 2006 in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as the American Council on Education, Campus Compact, and the Interfaith Youth Core.
College students make a significant contribution to their communities through volunteering and service, according to the most recent Volunteering and Civic Life in America report. In 2012, 3.1 million college students dedicated more than 118 million hours of service across the country ? a contribution valued at $2.5 billion. More information on eligibility and the full list of Honor Roll awardees, can be found at www.nationalservice.gov.
For more information on how your organization can get involved at Penn State Schuylkill, or if you are a student that would like to participate, please contact:
Tina Rose
Coordinator of Leadership Development
570-385-6243
[email protected]
