It's unclear whether John Calvin
Toll, one of Union College's
first graduates in 1799, did much in the way of painting or planting on his
arrival in Schenectady.
But hundreds of students from the
Class of 2006 and other classes will be wielding paintbrushes and shovels in
his honor on Saturday for the annual community service day that bears his name.
Students, joined by President
Roger Hull and other staff and faculty, will be volunteering on Saturday, Sept.
21, from noon to 3 p.m.
They will join members of
other local volunteer organizations to clean a number of parks and city-owned
properties as well as assist with projects at local agencies including American
Red Cross, Bethesda House, Community Land Trust, Eddy
Senior Center,
Family Child Services of Schenectady and Safe Inc. The day will end with a
reception and gourmet desserts at the City Center Sportsplex.
John Calvin Toll Community Day is
later than usual to allow more members of Union's
student body to participate. Begun in 1995 as a way to strengthen ties with the
city and expose students to volunteer opportunities, it was part of freshman
orientation, held days before other students arrived.
“Toll Day is not just for freshmen
anymore,” said Gretchel Tyson, Union's community
outreach coordinator. “This year, we look forward to tapping into a much larger
workforce. For many of our older students, working at Toll Day was their first
exposure to the City of Schenectady,
and the beginning of a college career that included volunteering in the
community. So, it is natural that we include them.”
John Calvin Toll Day is supported
by Al Hill, a 1946 Union graduate, and his wife, Perrie. Toll was the great,
great grandfather of Hill, a retired attorney from Buffalo.
The Hills created the fund to encourage Union students to undertake volunteer
service. “We believe that the experiences from this activity will carry over
beyond graduation and enrich not only those they serve but also the
volunteers,” Hill said.
Work sites are to include the Hamilton
Hill Arts Center
(where students will be touching up a large outdoor mural), Schenectady
Museum, Nott
Street, Nott Terrace, Vale
Park and the bike path near the
intersection of Nott Street
and Park Place.
Contact: Charlie Casey,
Director of News, Union College
388-6090 (w), 399-5714 (h)