Union College students will once again spruce up the city of Schenectady from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15, for the 11th annual John Calvin Toll Day. A variety of beautification projects await them throughout the city.
Tasks will include weeding, hedge trimming, reshaping bushes and planting flowers. Daffodils and tulip bulbs will be planted between State Street and Nott Terrace.
The annual event is coordinated by the Kenney Community Center at Union College, The Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation (DSIC) and local volunteers.
The DSIC will be loaning the necessary equipment for the day, while the College will provide transportation for its members (campus community should meet at Old Chapel circle at 9:45 a.m.) and local volunteers will assist with the organization at various locations. Union staff and faculty, city leaders and residents will participate as well.
“I'm excited to see that the entire Union community, including Minerva Houses, various student clubs, faculty and staff, fraternities, sororities and athletic associations, will actively participate in John Calvin Toll Day,” said Gretchel Tyson, director of community outreach and affirmative action at Union College. “Our goal is to recognize National Community Service Day (Oct. 23) by providing the opportunity for all campus members to participate in the commitment to the city of Schenectady.”
Each volunteer will receive a $5 coupon, valid at participating stores and restaurants in Schenectady.
A number of parks, municipal buildings and city-owned properties will be on the list for a face-lift. Locations include Vale Park, Center City Sportsplex, outdoor areas in front of the police station and the public library on Liberty Street, and the Schenectady Museum and Amtrak station parking lots.
This annual community service day is named for one of Union's first graduates in 1799. 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.
Former College President Roger H. Hull was a champion of community service during his 15-year tenure. He wanted first-year students to become more active in the community, be good neighbors and be civic-minded. Toll Day originally was part of new student orientation, but upper-class students also wanted to participate. The College now invites all students, faculty and staff to participate and be a part of National Community Service Day.
In his last address to the college during the 2005 commencement ceremony, Hull said, “Make a pact with yourself to serve your community, state, and nation and tackle the next stage of your journey with passion, accountability, compassion and truthfulness.”
Union's Kenney Community Center coordinates 11 community service programs, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Girls Inc., America Reads, Homework Center and Skills Development Program, Rotaract Club, Union Community Action Reaching Everyone (U-CARE), and Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP).
For further information, please call (518) 388-6609.