SUNY Delhi Students Host Community Service Day in Celebration of College's 100th Birthday

DELHI, NY (10/24/2012)(readMedia)-- SUNY Delhi students will show their appreciation to the community that founded their college by volunteering locally through the O'Connor Center for Community Engagement for Community Service Day on Saturday, October 27.

Students will assist various area organizations in celebration of Delhi's 100th birthday. "This year our annual Community Service Day not only celebrates the college's centennial by helping the town and village of Delhi, but it also celebrates National 'Make A Difference Day,'" said Elizabeth Sova, SUNY Delhi Coordinator of the O'Connor Center for Community Engagement. "The day will be jam-packed with activities right here on campus as well as many of our traditional volunteer sites."

Delhi students will be volunteering at the following non-profit agencies and organizations: Saturday's Bread in Oneonta, Roberto's Kids, Merchants on Main (Village of Delhi), Delaware County Community Action Network (DCCAN), The ARC of Delaware County, area churches, Delaware Opportunities Big Buddies, Delaware County Office for the Aging, Delhi Senior Housing, Delhi Outdoor Education Center, WSKG, Oneonta World of Learning (OWL) and Woodland Cemetery.

Also on October 27, SUNY Delhi will host the Spooky Science Event, co-sponsored by the O'Connor Center for Community Engagement (OCCE), WSKG and OWL. Approximately 500 elementary and middle school students and their families from Delhi, South Kortright, Charlotte Valley, Stamford, Walton and Oneonta schools will participate. New PBS SciGirls Spooky Science episodes will be shown from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in The Okun Theatre. A science dance workshop will be held in the college's dance studio and 21 stations of take-home activities will be led by OWL volunteers and SUNY Delhi students. SUNY Delhi's Patisserie Club will also offer cupcake decorating.

The O'Connor Center for Community Engagement began in 1999 with grant support from the O'Connor Foundation and other local organizations. The Center matches individual students, clubs, classes, and faculty and staff volunteers with non-profit agencies and organizations within the greater Delhi community that need a helping hand. It serves as a clearinghouse for these community organizations, and facilitates volunteerism by arranging for transportation, orientation and training, and feedback on completed community service projects. The O'Connor Center has been named to the

President's National Honor Roll for Community Service for the last six years. Delhi students complete over 24,000 hours of service annually with over 70 percent involved in some type of service activity through clubs and organizations.

For more information about Community Service Day or the Spooky Science Event, contact Elizabeth Sova at 607-746-4781.