Campus strives for MLK dream of community service and cooperation

 

Students volunteer in the community;
Campus battles poverty in Alle-Kiski Valley;
Local churches and businesses partner with campus

UPPER BURRELL, Pa. -- In honor of the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., student volunteers from Penn State New Kensington and other Penn State campuses in western Pennsylvania took on community service projects in Monaca, Pennsylvania. Billed as "Make it a Day On, Not a Day Off," the activities were part of the University’s celebration of King’s life. The third Monday in January is a federal holiday, and there are no classes.

Complementing the volunteer day was New Kensington’s weeklong celebration on campus of King’s legacy. The King observance was a blend of solemnity and festivity fused with entertainment and education. All of which was a continuation of Chancellor Kevin Snider’s strategic plan to bring the campus community to the Alle-Kiski Valley community.

Make it a Day On, Not a Day Off
The multi-campus community service project is an annual event that moves around the region. Penn State Beaver was the first host campus in 2009 and began the cycle anew this year. Lauren Blum, assistant to the director of student affairs, accompanied 10 New Kensington students -- Lauren Smith, Anthony Maiolo, Sandra Muhhuku, Kelcey Harris, Alex Pedder, Cody Shoemaker, Brian Getsie, Jon McCabe, Wati Kumwenda, and Brandon Lesko -- to the Beaver campus. They joined 100 of their counterparts from the Penn State campuses of Beaver, DuBois, Erie, Fayette, Greater Allegheny and Shenango, and traveled in groups to help with the daily activities of various community organizations in the greater Monaca area, including Crossroads Homeless Shelter, McGuire Memorial, Christian Home Health Care, Sisters of St. Joseph, Beaver County YMCA, Christmas Light Up, and Women’s Center of Beaver County. The students performed a variety of tasks: cleaning, working on outdoor projects, and serving food.

“Penn State encourages the community service aspect of the holiday," said Blum, who holds a master’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. “Students volunteered to give up their day off at school to assist the organizations with cleaning, painting, organizing -- whatever needed to be done.”

Muhukku, Maiolo and Smith were the veterans of the service day. They were a part of the New Kensington contingent that journeyed to Sharon, Pa., and the Shenango campus a year ago. Maiolo, a junior electro-mechanical engineering technology (EMET) major from Gateway High School, returned because he “really enjoyed it last year.” The Campus Activities Board president assisted a church organization, Christmas Light Up, in taking down a light display in a community park.

Smith, a freshman in the EMET program from Ford City High School, was a part of the group that trimmed trees and bushes at the Sisters of St. Joseph. She seized the opportunity to give back to the community and enjoyed the camaraderie.

“I like doing volunteer work, and it was actually fun hanging out and working with people from other Penn State campuses,” said Smith, whose extracurricular activities include the Campus Activities Board committee.

Harris, a sophomore agricultural and extended education major from Mt. Lebanon High School, worked at McGuire Memorial, a co-sponsored ministry of the Felician Sisters of North America and the Diocese of Pittsburgh. McGuire provides comprehensive services, such as residency and education, to people with mental and physical disabilities. Harris organized bags of clothes for the residents and helped them bowl during leisure activities.

“I loved the environment and the opportunity every employee is giving to these people on a day-to-day basis,’ said Harris, who is pursuing a career in saving and rehabilitating injured wild marine animals. “It really makes a big difference to the families and to the community.”

Working with Harris at the home and school was McCabe, a sophomore psychology major from Burrell High School. He washed walls and then spent time with the kids at bowling. Volunteering is a passion of his, and his reward is “seeing other people smile.”

“I learned to be very appreciative of what you have because there are kids who cannot do simple things that we take for granted, like walking, talking, or playing sports,” said McCabe, a recipient of the campus' Dr. N.A. Kopelman and Freda D. Kopelman Trustee scholarship. “It’s a gift to be able to get up out of bed every day, and it is always nice to help out others in need.”

New Kensington hosted the event in 2012 and is expected to be the base campus in 2018 or 2019. Penn State Erie, The Behernd College, this year joined the original six campuses and will be a part of the rota of future community service projects.

Penn State New Kensington freshman Wati Kumwenda, an international student, reads Maya Angelou's
poem "Still I Rise" at the celebration of the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Unity Day
The celebration of the life of and works of King continued the next day when students, faculty and staff came together with Hightower Scholars Inc. and the community, local businesses and neighborhood churches. The focus of the commemoration was social justice issues, community advocacy, and respect for all individuals.

“We are promoting unity and peaceful solutions to difficult societal issues through community service, community activism, advocacy for human rights and individuals standing up to eliminate bias and hate in our communities,” said Theresa Bonk, director of student affairs at the campus.

A "Celebration of Unity" featured readings on nonviolent protests, a musical performance, and a pot luck dinner. Wati Kumwenda, a freshman in the Biomedical Engineering Technology program, read a poem, “Still I Rise,” by Maya Angelou. Kumwenda is a native of the Republic of Malawi in southeast Africa. One of nine international students enrolled at the campus, she is active in extracurricular activities, including serving as assistant director and actor in the campus’ fall stage production, “Beyond Therapy” and attending the three-day Black Leadership Conference in Higher Education in the fall.

“We've placed a strong emphasis here in recent years of building a more diverse student body and attracting international students,” Snider said. “It's been a very welcoming place for that, and you don't see that everywhere around here.”

Classical pianist and vocal artist Nikesha Moore performed musical selections from the civil rights era during the unity dinner. The highlight of the evening was the lighting of a unity candle by members of the campus, community, local businesses and neighborhood churches.

“This day provides us an opportunity to celebrate what King was all about, what he strived for and what he accomplished,” Snider said. “But it's also a chance for our students to meet members of the community they may not have otherwise. It's a chance to develop an understanding and a relationship between the school and the community.”

Diane Hightower, executive director of Hightower Scholars, a nonprofit organization, and Bonk developed the multimedia program for the 86th anniversary of King's birth.

Illustrations of Nelson Mendela, Martin Luther King Jr., the Statue of Liberty and Albert Einstein were created
by Tom Verano, a performing artist.

MLK Week
The unity event was a part of the campus’ weeklong commemoration of King and his dream of equality among the races. Throughout the week, an awareness campaign, “Watch Your Isms” was waged by posters, cutouts and t-shirts. The “isms” push urged the campus community to be cognizant of overt and covert biases, such as age, race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, and religion.

Performing artist Tom Varano opened the festivities on Monday. He talked about civil rights movements and created illustrations of King, Nelson Mandela, Albert Einstein and the Statue of Liberty.

The Community Resource Nonprofit Volunteer and Advocacy Fair on Wednesday featured charitable groups providing information about the community service opportunities available at the organizations. Nonprofits at the fair were: Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Westmoreland County; CASA of Westmoreland County; Community Health Clinic of New Kensington; Family Services of Western Pennsylvania; Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania; HAVIN; Heritage Hospice of Westmoreland, Allegheny and Indiana counties; Mental Health America of Westmoreland County; Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh; United Way of Westmoreland County; Western Pennsylvania Conservancy; and YWCA of Westmoreland County.

Human-rights movies dominated the festivities on Thursday. Three movies -- “Cesar Chavez: An American Hero-Huelga,” “Philadelphia” and “Boys Don’t Cry” -- were screened throughout the day in Café 780. In addition, the Student Life office sponsored a field trip for campus students to see the new movie, “Selma.”

The “isms” campaign concluded on Friday with students and staff sporting “Watch Your Isms” t-shirts, and an open mic day where students paraded their inner performer before an audience in Café 780.

The week of activities was developed by the campus Diversity committee -- Bonk, committee chair; Blum; Natacha Bolufer-Laurentie, instructor in Spanish; Danielle DeStafano, assistant director of enrollment management; Janet Knott, instructor in nursing; Jennifer Marino, assistant director for financial aid; Kim McKean, human resource manager; Mitchel Nickols, consulting and manager trainer at Allegheny Intermediate Unit and member of the campus Advisory Board; and Yasmin Ray, a student in the Psychology program.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first observed in 1986. In 1994, Congress designated the holiday as a national day of service, charging the Corporation for National and Community Service with leading this effort. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the only national holiday designated as a national day of service.

For photos of MLK week, visit http://psnk.smugmug.com/

Volunteering in the Community
Serving the community is not a one-week activity for campus faculty, staff and students; it is a yearlong calling. Volunteering has been a major component of Snider's seven-year administration. During the summer, the campus Lion Ambassadors, a student organization, helped at the Food Pantry at Mt. St. Peter Parish in New Kensington. In addition to working at the pantry, the Lion Ambassadors collected donated canned goods and other food items from faculty and staff and delivered them to the pantry. When classes began, volunteering at the food pantry evolved into a monthly project.

The campus community volunteered in the fall for a series of "Day of Caring" events to learn first-hand about poverty in the local region. "Day of Caring" is a program of the United Way of Westmoreland County. Volunteers traveled in September to the Westmoreland County Food Bank warehouse in Delmont, Pennsylvania, to assist with painting and staining projects. Utilizing volunteers for the work allows the food bank to concentrate its resources in other areas, such as purchasing food products for needy families in the region. Last year, the food bank distributed 7.4 million pounds of food.

Bill Hamilton, assistant professor of biology at the campus, with students Btittany Miller, right,
and Kaely Brilhart, are preparing to plant a honey locust tree along Industrial Boulevard in the
city of New Kensington.

TREE PLANTING IN NEW KENSINGTON
Bill Hamilton, assistant professor of biology, was joined by biology students and Science Club members in October for a tree planting project in the city of New Kensington. Twelve trees, a Kentucky coffee bean and 11 honey locusts, were planted along Industrial Boulevard in the southeast section of the city.

Brittany Miller, a freshman in the Veterinary and Biomedical Science program, was one of Hamilton’s students who helped with the tree planting. A member of the campus’ Dean’s List, Miller seeks out opportunities to give back to both the community and the environment.

“We planted trees along the streets of New Kensington to help improve its appearance,” said Miller, who wants to be a veterinarian. “I think it was a good experience. Being able to give back to the community always makes me feel good.”
The Kiski Area High School graduate volunteers at numerous community agencies, including Kiski Valley Cat and Kitten Rescue, a cat shelter in Apollo, Pa., and the of Vandergrift Borough’s Street-a-Week program, a summer program that was designed to clean-up and rejuvenate the borough's parks and public areas.

The tree planting program was sponsored by the New Kensington Shade Tree Commission and supported by a grant from Tree Vitalize, a program funded by the Department Natural Resources. Jane Glenn of the Shade Tree Commission organized the event, and Brian Wolyniack, an urban forester with the Penn State Extension Office, was on hand to demonstrate tree planting techniques and supervise the work.

Glenn, a Lower Burrell resident, has campus connections. She is the administrative executive of three campus endowments -- Elizabeth S. Blissell Scholarship, Hazel L. Hug Scholarship and Thelma M. Clausner Scholarship -- that provide annual support to nine campus students. For the 2014-15 academic year, Evan Keener and Regina Cherish earned Blissell scholarships, Tanya Leeman, Nicholas Dimaria, Rene Hatheway and Alexander Stack received Hug scholarships, and Danielle Cicak, Jonathan Simmen, and Amanda Stumme merited Clausner scholarships.

Hamilton and Deborah Sillman, senior instructor in biology, oversee the maintenance of the campus Nature Trail that was constructed in 1985. Throughout the year, the biologists write a blog about the birds, insects, mammals and flowers during each of the four seasons.

On their blog site, "Ecologist's Notebook: Reflections on the Natural World of Western Pennsylvania," they report on their observations around their Apollo house and on local nature trails, as well as the campus trail. The eighth winter blog, “Bees,” was written Jan. 23.

To view Hamilton's blogs and to make a comment, visit
http://sites.psu.edu/ecologistsnotebook/2015/01/23/signs-of-winter-8-bees/

Chancellor Kevin Snider opens the "Poverty Summit," held at Penn State New Kensington in October 2014.

Poverty initiatives
Poverty is at the forefront of Snider’s initiatives to help revive western Pennsylvania communities. According to the Westmoreland Community Action website, one-fifth of the residents of New Kensington, Arnold and Lower Burrell, approximately 5,807 people, live in poverty.

In an effort to combat poverty in the Alle-Kiski Valley, Snider created a campus Poverty Committee tasked with collaborating with nonprofit organizations to assist with poverty-related programs. The committee works with the community on various service projects, including a Poverty Summit. The summit was held in October, and more than 40 community leaders and nonprofit organization members joined campus faculty and staff to learn more about the poverty in the Alle-Kiski Valley. Through a series of presentations, participants learned about issues faced by individuals and families on the lower rungs of the economic ladder.

“Poverty has emerged as a significant issue across the region as almost 30 percent of citizens in three of our closest municipalities live at or close to poverty levels,” Snider said. “I feel pretty strongly about trying to help this area succeed, and I think addressing the issue of poverty is probably one of our biggest issues right now. How we deal with that affects so many more people than just those living in poverty.”

For more information on the campus’ poverty initiatives, contact Corinne Coulson, at 724-334-6018 or crc26@psu.edu