Make a Difference Day on Oct. 24 provides the campus community with a great opportunity to help its neighbors. Mike Patterson, director of student activities and union services, said the day of national service is about neighbors helping neighbors.

“We have a unique ability to make a large impact on the community that we are part of,” said Patterson. “By making a commitment to Make a Difference Day, we as a college can continue to make a difference in the local region.”

Having faculty, staff and students engaged in the program is vital in this effort, he added. All members of the campus community are encouraged to participate by donating goods or their time, or both.

The college’s involvement in the program begins on Friday, Oct. 23. Donations will be accepted in the Student Union, room 100. College employees received a shopping list of needed goods with their paychecks on Oct. 14. The donations will benefit such local non-profit organizations as Family of New Paltz and The Queen’s Galley.

On Saturday, representatives from the college will volunteer from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at more than 11 off-campus service sites, including Village View for Seniors and the New Paltz Fire Department.

The entire event will conclude with a reflection dinner on Saturday beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Student Union, room 100. The dinner is an addition to the program that Patterson hopes will help spread the spirit of service across campus.

“Through the experience of sharing and processing the day’s events, we hope that students, faculty and staff will be inspired to continue giving back to their communities,” he said.

For more details on the full program, visit www.newpaltz.edu/sub/madd.html.

Faculty and staff can help feed the needs of local residents over the age of 55 by participating in this year’s Make a Difference Day.

Make a Difference Day, which takes place nationwide on Saturday, Oct. 25, gets underway on Oct. 24 with a food drive to benefit the Ulster County Office of the Aging’s Meals on Wheels program. The year marks the fourth time the college has participated in the national day of community service created by USA Weekend.

“This is really where the campus community can get the most involved,” said Michael Patterson, director of Student Activities and Union Services, “and it is where there is the most need.”

Non-perishable food items will be collected from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24, in the Student Union Building Multi-Purpose Room. A shopping list of needed single-serving items can be found at www.newpaltz.edu/sub/MADD08item_list.pdf.

Mary Jo DeForest, deputy director of the Ulster County Office for the Aging, said the donated items will be used to provide emergency food packs for approximately 600 residents during winter storms and power outages.

“We are grateful to be able to provide additional emergency meals for homebound senior citizens,” she said.

On Saturday, Oct. 25, the official Make a Difference Day, volunteers will pack up the food donations from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and deliver them to the Ulster County Office of the Aging.

The day of giving back will continue into the evening when the college hosts a free music concert from 7 to 9 p.m. for senior residents and their caregivers. “An Evening of Music: Celebrating Community Members Over 55” will feature performances by such student groups as the Vince Tampio Jazz Quartet; Absolute A Cappella; and the Sexy Pitches; as well as Christine Sweeny ’09 (Music).

In addition to providing the evening’s entertainment, New Paltz students will serve as ushers for the event. Patterson said the concert will provide students with an opportunity to socialize and learn from senior citizens.

DeForest said the concert is a great way to bring together people from different generations, and the Ulster County Office of the Aging is pleased to be a sponsor of the event.

“It is wonderful to be involved with an academic institution that fosters caring relationships between students and staff with local agencies serving their communities,” said DeForest.

The evening will conclude with a free coffee and dessert buffet compliments of Campus Auxiliary Services and Sodexo.

For more information, contact the Office of Student Activities at x3025 or
www.newpaltz.edu/sub.