Holleran Center for Community Engagement

Holleran Center News

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Alvernia University holds two Days of Service in the Fall of 2011

As part of New Student Orientation in August, over 400 incoming students, as well as their student leaders and faculty advisors, took part in the 2011 Orientation Day of Service, cosponsored by the Holleran Center for Community Engagement and Campus Ministry. The day was designed to introduce these students to the Greater Reading community, as well as Alvernia's core Franciscan value of service. Groups went out to 19 different sites in both the morning and the afternoon to serve in a variety of capacities, including cleaning up the trails with the Schuylkill River Greenway Association, playing games and interacting with residents at the Berks County Family & Youth Center, and grooming horses at Shady Hollow Assisted Riding. Other sites included Opportunity House, Adventist Whole Health Network, Literacy Council of Reading-Berks, Habitat for Humanity and The Pagoda among others. Overall, the Day of Service was a success and gave participants the opportunity to get to know the place that they will be calling 'home' over the next four years better.

At the beginning of October, students, faculty and staff participated in the second of four days of service for the 2011-2012 academic year. The St. Francis Day of Service occurs annually in honor of Alvernia's patron saint. This year, the St. Francis Day of Service focused on literacy and the environment. A group of students, staff and faculty, as well as some of the participants of the South Reading Youth Initiative helped to clean-up flood damage at Angelica Creek park while an additional group went to the Second Street Learning Center at Opportunity House to read books to the children there.

The next day of service at Alvernia will take place on Monday, January 16, 2012 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. In 2011, this day of service was very successful with over 180 participants on what is traditionally a day off. Alvernia is looking forward to working with the community again for another community outreach day in honor of the legacy of Dr. King.

The Holleran Center continues Community Fellows Program

In partnership with Pennsylvania Campus Compact (PACC), the Holleran Center for Community Engagement is pleased to start it's second year of the Community Fellows Program. This program gives 19 students the opportunity to enroll as part-time AmeriCorps members while studying at Alvernia University. The Holleran Center Community Fellows program was designed to address compelling community needs in the areas of college access and success, while developing college students as active citizens.

These students commit to serving 300 hours over the course of the academic year in tutoring and mentoring programs. In exchange for their commitment, Community Fellows will receive an AmeriCorps Education Award of $1,208 upon completion of their service to be used to pay for graduate school or to pay off student loans. In addition to serving in the areas of college access and success, the Community Fellows will participate in a series of leadership development and training activities. The first of these activities will take place at a PACC sponsored conference in Harrisburg, PA entitled "Best in Class" Student Engagement Conference.

Current students enrolled in the program are working with the South Reading Youth Initiative, an after-school program run by the Holleran Center, as well as Olivet Boys & Girls Clubs throughout the City of Reading. By working with at-risk children and youth to provide career awareness and development of study skills, the Community Fellows are assisting K-12 students in the areas of college access and readiness.

The Community Fellows for the 2011-2012 academic year are: Nicholas Armour, Leah Baer, Danielle, Cortes, Gina Dierolf, Screta Ford, Tatiana Foronda, Courtney Foster, Anne Kushlick, Jessica Marchetti, Jennifer Mejia, Stephanie Murphy, Alyss Reinsel, Kaytelin Rhody, Jessica Seyler, Kevin Shainline, Caitlin Sine, Eric Soltysik, Samantha Wilt, and Emiley Whitman.

Alvernia Named to President's Higher Education Honor Roll

February 25, 2010

Alvernia has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, with Distinction, by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Announced today, the Honor Roll recognition comes from the highest levels of the federal government, for the university’s commitment to service and civic engagement on campus and in our nation.

“The Holleran Center is pleased that once again, the President’s Higher Education Honor Roll has recognized Alvernia University’s commitment to community service and civic engagement,” said Director Ginny Hand. “As one of only 17 higher education institutions in Pennsylvania to earn this recognition with distinction, we are grateful for the acknowledgment that our curricular and extracurricular student programs continue to make a positive difference in our community.”

The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, launched in 2006, annually recognizes institutions of higher education for their commitment to and achievement in community service. The President’s Honor Roll increases the public’s awareness of the contributions that colleges and their students make to local communities and the nation as a whole. President Obama has pledged to make service a central cause of his administration and wishes to commemorate the significant role that higher institutions, their students, staff, and faculty play in helping to solve pressing social problems in the nation’s communities.

Alvernia’s Holleran Center for Community Engagement (HCCE) is a model for other institutions, connecting college students with community needs.

“Our students see results from a number of broad ranging programs that help community members of all ages,” explained Hand. “These include efforts like the South Reading Youth Initiative after school program for middle school students, to an innovative initiative that connects our nursing students with area seniors living in elderly high rise apartments to help with health issues, to community service days in various non-profit agencies. These activities and their results encourage our students to make a life-long commitment to serve in their communities.”