College partners with Habitat, YWCA on student volunteer opportunities

Published 03.16.2021

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(community) Service SaturdaySeveral Penn College students and two employee mentors assisted with a local Habitat for Humanity build at 702 Diamond St. in Newberry on Saturday, March 13, one of two recent opportunities to volunteer on behalf of the Greater Williamsport area.

Flanagan helps to build a world of decent housing. Residence Life's Gamez (foreground) takes a photo with Camut and Ritter during the ongoing construction project in the city's West End.Digan furthers a young mother's dream of home ownership at the Diamond Street property, Greater Lycoming Habitat's 54th local build.Joining Sammie L. Davis, coordinator of diversity and student engagement, and Cathy E. Gamez, residence life coordinator for Dauphin Hall, at the Habitat site were Serena V. Bergeron, Lansdale, automotive technology management: collision repair concentration; Sydney M. Camut, Shippensburg, engineering design technology; Cinnamon A. Digan, Mifflinburg, welding and fabrication engineering technology; Caila N. Flanagan, Williamsport, business administration: management concentration; and Elias D. Ritter, Willow Grove, graphic design.

"The group worked on everything from hanging drywall to cleaning up," said Shannon L. Skaluba, student organization and information center specialist. "We look forward to continuing the partnership with Habitat for Humanity through a new student organization that is in the process of being approved!"

(community) Service Saturday events provide Penn College students opportunities to volunteer within the Greater Williamsport area. Held the second Saturday of the month, each event is a different volunteer opportunity. Contact the Office of Student Engagement to be added to the (community) Service Saturday interest list.

Jarred J. Jones, an applied management major from Bloomsburg and a 2019 graduate in automotive technology, drops off such items as toothpaste, disposable razors, deodorant, soap and body wash. PCMA's director of public relations, Jones highlighted the contributions of his fellow officers: Jacob W. Kovalick, Frenchville, network administration and engineering technology (director of internal affairs) and Derek Van Veldhuisen, Whitehouse Station, N.J., heating, ventilation and air conditioning design technology (secretary).... the contents of which were picked up by YWCA personnel Tuesday afternoon.Lacey A. Decker, of Emporium, a dental hygiene student who works part time as an information desk assistant for the Office of Student Engagement, stands by the Bush Campus Center collection bin ...The Office of Student Engagement, in partnership with student organizations and offices within Student Affairs, recently collected more than 460 personal care items for Williamsport’s YWCA Huts of Hope. The Huts of Hope, which offer those items to anyone in the community in need, have been featured in the Williamsport Sun-Gazette and at NorthcentralPA.com.

Contributing campus groups were the Construction Management Association, Health Information Association, One World Club, Penn College Motorsports Association, Pep Band, Physical Therapist Assistant Club, Society of Plastics Engineers, Student American Dental Hygienists’ Association and Student Wildcats of Robotic Design.

Photos provided by Davis, Gamez, Jones and Skaluba