October 28 saw over 300 first-year St. Joseph’s University, New York students participate in a variety of projects that supported organizations across campus as part of the University’s First Year Experience (FYE) program’s annual day of service.
The First Year Experience (FYE) program was designed to ease students in their transition from high school to university life, while providing them with resources, services and activities that would help them connect with their new academic community.
Another essential aspect of FYE involves students participating in projects to stimulate their intellectual, social and civic development to ensure success at St. Joseph’s and in life overall.
Day of service projects this year covered a wide scope of social initiatives including writing letters to active-duty service members, assembling kits for the homeless, designing bookmarks for donated children’s books, making wreaths for veterans living in the Long Island State Veterans Home and designing containers for pet food to donate to families fostering a pet.
“My class was tasked with making bookmarks for children that correspond to different books,” said Lena Grasso, assistant director for the Office of Global Studies at SJNY and an FYE facilitator. “Creating bookmarks may seem small, but service isn’t always about grand gestures, it’s about taking the time to make something meaningful with intention and care. The students were excited to choose books that had meaning to them in the hopes that they could spark a joy for reading for younger children.”
Meanwhile, the Campus Ministry oversaw two projects. The first tasked students with painting vases that would be donated to elderly Sisters of St. Joseph living in the convent in Brentwood, NY as token of appreciation. The second project, called “Migrating Monarchs”, is a part of the Sisters’ ongoing work in their support of migrant families.
Students designed cutouts of the monarch butterflies, which symbolize immigration, and wrote hopeful messages on them. The cutouts will then be strung together and displayed as a sign of welcomeness to those who are immigrating.
“As Director of Campus Ministry, I am beyond pleased by the overwhelming positive response we received from this day of service,” said Jonathan Galo, who oversees the Campus Ministry on the Long Island Campus. “The students showed much enthusiasm for these projects and were more than willing to give back to our community.”
According to Galo, the goal of these various service projects is to reinforce the pillars of social responsibility and service within SJNY’s first-year students.
