The freshman day of service was Wednesday, October 15. There were a variety of different service activities for us to choose between, from cleaning Calverton Cemetery to making meals at the YDA. Inevitably, there were mixed opinions on the day, depending on what somebody chose.
Helping Hands Rescue Mission
The Helping Hands center in Huntington provides food and clothes to those in need. During the day of service, students folded and organized clothing donations, bagged food to be put outside, and kept clothing racks outside organized. Torn or stained clothing didn’t go to waste; instead, the Helping Hands Center donated it to another organization, Big Brother. Participants who previously thought poverty isn’t a problem on Long Island were exposed to how many people struggle every day to receive basic needs.
Beach Clean Up
It turns out, the beaches weren’t as dirty as they were thought to be. For the beach cleanup, students went to both Asharoken and Crab Meadow. Since there was a lack of trash on the sand, the grasses surrounding the sand were cleaned instead.
The Atria
Students who went to the Atria for their day of service had the opportunity to spend time with the elderly who live there. It was a way for two different generations to get to know the other and understand each other. One person who visited the Atria was Grace Piropato, she and many others also attending the Atria were encouraged to bring games for the day. She brought a stack of UNO cards, and residents at the Atria really enjoyed it.
Calverton Cemetery
Calverton Cemetery is reserved for veterans and their families. Students who went there cleaned off the tombstones and spoke to visitors and listened to their stories of family members who passed away. The cemetery became much cleaner, and the students helped honor the veterans buried at Calverton. Anthony Karman says it was very relaxing and overall a calm day, and everybody else I’ve heard from who went there for their day of service said the same.
Paws of War
At Pet Smart and Pet Co, participants raised money for pets for veterans. While also helping to make an impact for those who served our country, students also learned what work is like for those with jobs that involve interacting with customers. There was one instance where somebody walking past got extremely angry at a student because he didn’t like the fact that so many places don’t take cash anymore, even though the donation stand was cash-only and the students have no say in the payment methods accepted. This built empathy in the students for people who work with customers like this, and for our veterans.
Pumpkin Patch
The link to the description of the pumpkin patch didn’t work, so participants thought they would be helping sell pumpkins to those who wanted to decorate for Halloween. However, the day consisted of pulling out weeds surrounding the pumpkins. Students felt deceived because that is not what they signed up for when choosing their service day activities. I spoke to Shelby Ragonese and Lillian Noseda, and they told me it was very unclear what was a weed and what was a vegetable that grows underground, like potatoes or carrots. While some produce got destroyed in the process, the pumpkin patch became much cleaner and more appealing to customers that attended.
VA Beautification
Participants went to the VA Med Center to converse with Veterans, and even attend a ceremony for the disabled veterans who lost their senses due to war. Participants raked leaves around the field and got rid of waste. When they had arrived back to school, they had reflected on the actions they had done for the Veterans and realized that they had returned a favor for the Veterans who had risked their lives in serving the country.
