Class is out and service is in on Earth Day at Paul Smith's College

PAUL SMITHS, NY (04/17/2014)(readMedia)-- This Earth Day, Paul Smith's College students won't be in class - they'll spread out across the northern Adirondacks, lending a hand to several different community groups and non-profit organizations.

About 150 to 200 students, as well as faculty and staff, are expected to participate in the college's first-ever campuswide Day of Service on Tuesday, April 22. Projects are scheduled at the Wild Center in Tupper Lake, area animal shelters, the Brighton Food Pantry, and several other places, where they'll paint, clean and perform other tasks; volunteers will also help make cards for injured veterans and sick children, do roadside clean-ups, and work on campus, among other things.

Classes across campus have been canceled for the day to maximize participation.

Jill Susice, the college's student activities coordinator, said Paul Smith's President John W. Mills first approached her with the idea after seeing it elsewhere. "I thought it was a wonderful opportunity because so many of our students already do community service on their own," said Susice, who helped organize the event and hopes the day of service becomes an annual affair. "This day is a great way to express how important service is to the college."

About Paul Smith's College

At Paul Smith's College, it's about the experience. Paul Smith's, which was founded in 1946, is the only bachelor's degree-granting institution of higher education in the Adirondacks. Our programs, in fields including hospitality, culinary arts, forestry, natural resources, entrepreneurship and the sciences, draw on industries and resources available in our own backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere. For more information: www.paulsmiths.edu.