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Second Annual “Make a Difference Day” Promotes Student Volunteerism

Over four-hundred Houghton College students participated in Saturday’s Make a Difference Day, serving at sites across Allegany County. It was a day of sweaty hard work, team collaboration, laughter, conversations about life and service, and working with the heart to make a difference in Houghton’s community.

Courtesy of Collin Belt
Courtesy of Collin Belt

This marks Houghton’s second annual Make a Difference Day. Phyllis Gaerte, director of community relations, said the initiative started with the vision of Allegany County’s higher education institutes uniting to practically serve the county. Gaerte said, “It thrills me to see our students going out and working alongside our neighbors and meeting some real tangible needs in the community.”

Students from Alfred State College, Alfred University, and Houghton College worked in teams of five to twenty-five people. They scrubbed floors, painted walls, picked up trash, raked fall leaves, ripped up carpets, landscaped, and forged trails through dense forests.

Ben Hardy, SGA president, described the number of non-profit and community organizations lacking staffing to complete basic jobs. He said, “They maybe have staffing for day to day activities, but if they need to do some massive cleaning, redecorating, organizing, or a larger project, they may not have the staffing for that. There are ministries, towns, libraries, churches that just need extra hands. It’s service students can get involved in.”

As students served, community members responded. Describing the community response to last year’s Make a Difference Day, Gaerte said, “I have a folder of thank you notes, e-mails, and press from local newspapers that were part of the days following the event.” This year, students saw this same gratefulness as community organizations thanked them for their diligent work, positive attitudes, speed, and genuine desires to serve.

Hardy said, “The fact that so many students are doing it together also means it builds community.” This community was built as students formed a giant snake of people to clear a path through a forest in Letchworth, jumped in the piles of leaves they raked for the Oakwood Cemetery, and shared conversation by the path they forged to the Genesee River.

Junior Collin Belt described this sense of community at the multiple sites he visited, and said, “There was such a spirit of joy. Students took tedious jobs and turned them into games, and as a result they got a lot done. It was a trend throughout the day: people planned what they thought was an exorbitant amount of work, but when a huge team of Houghton students getting together and just having fun would do the work, they would get it done faster than anyone ever expected.”

Students served in midst of the mere glimpses of sun that shone through the grey sky and the strong wind that blew, whipping leaves and burning faces. The weather did not hinder students’ service.

Hardy believes that this Make a Difference Day lies at the heart of Houghton’s Christian faith. He said, “I believe we are called to service. Jesus came to serve and as his disciples, we ought to be serving as well. This was a great opportunity for us to be hands for our community.”

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HOPE: A New Office for Service and Outreach

To encourage dedication of service amongst Houghton students towards the community and surrounding areas, the college has created a new office for Houghton Outreach Programs & Education, or as it is also known as, HOPE. This new office will provide a centralized space on campus where students can learn and participate in upcoming community service opportunities.

Courtesy of voiceseducation.org
Courtesy of voiceseducation.org

The HOPE office, which will be located in the basement of the Campus Center, will offer resources to a current database listing needs of services to students, faculty, and staff.

It will provide students with the chance to discover service opportunities that will accompany their passions in life and study. Gregory Bish, Director of Student Programs said, “I think that one of the key things for the office is actually just to help us better understand and recognize what students are already doing. But I also think that as students, they are looking for opportunities that will be a mechanism for them to find places that are the best fit for them and help their college to be more effective.”

While this new office is meant to provide information and opportunities for community service, Dr. Robert Pool, Vice President of Student Life, explained there is more to what the office can offer students. He said, “The students are learning about themselves, how much they learn about the world in which they live, how they learn to coordinate efforts around needs. There is a lot of learning that goes on that’s very transferable to the outside world when you engage in thought for service.”

Before HOPE, there had never been a coordinated report of the services volunteered by Houghton students. With this new office, the college will be able to obtain that information by reporting data of the volunteer services taking place. This will allow the office to evaluate its programs and services.  “Internally, we want to know how we are meeting the needs of the community” said Pool.

Miriam Griffith, a senior student, expressed her opinion about the new HOPE office, saying, “Service is a pivotal aspect of Houghton College; it seems as though Houghton would not be the same if it did not have a deep love of giving back to those in need. I feel as though having an on-campus office dedicated to providing service opportunities for Houghton students is a great thing and I cannot wait to be a part of what this office is planning.”

At the moment the new office is at the stage of research and development, students and staff currently working together to find out the needs of the community. Currently, Jina Libby, senior, is part of this student staff. Part of her duties include going to areas in need of service, finding what their volunteer needs are, and determining how the college can better prepare the students to address those needs through service.

The HOPE office has identified three places on which they aim to work as their pilot projects. “We are working with the Fillmore Powerhouse, the Houghton nursing home, and Wellspring Ministries in Belfast,” Bish elaborated. Students will be able to start volunteering as soon as this spring.

Pool said “There’s really no centralized place where anyone can say, ‘how can I serve,’ ‘what is available,’ ‘who needs me,’ ‘what are my talents’ and ‘how can I explore those talents by serving others in a volunteer capacity.’” HOPE’s goal is to change that. “That’s what this office is all about” said Pool.

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Programs Hope to Improve Transition to Life after College

As seniors graduate this year, Houghton College is revising and enhancing efforts to help students transition out of Houghton and into further education or the working world. Career Services and Student Life are directly involved in programs aimed at the goal of preparing students to enter the world.

December 2012 Graduates. Courtesy of http://www.houghton.edu/
December 2012 Graduates. Courtesy of http://www.houghton.edu/

Vice President for Student Life, Rob Pool, said, “One view is that every aspect of college prepares you to transition out.” In a broad sense, Houghton’s purpose throughout each student’s entire time at Houghton, from enrollment to graduation, is to prepare students for a life focused on and help them transition out of Houghton.

Pool believes that much of the preparation for leaving Houghton is organic—built into the entire Houghton experience—from formal academic and spiritual life activities to residence life and stress management. While Houghton has thus effectively helped students transition into college, it is less clear how successfully Houghton has aided them in transitioning out of college.

Because this preparation is hard to see, some of the new transition endeavors involve, in Pool’s words, “re-packaging”  existing programs so that students see the value of what they already have.  Last year, Career Services held a business-related fashion show to help students know what type of attire is needed for a professional career. Although Career Services gave away hundreds of dollars in professional clothing, only six students participated in the event. This year, the event has been restructured and will be part of the Campus Store’s fashion show on March 15.

There are also new programs, most notably a pilot program for a small group of current sophomores, who in March will attend a retreat designed to help them discover their future vocations and establish a plan for moving toward their goals for the future. Dr. Pool hopes that this program will serve as a model that may be replicated on a larger scale in order that all students can benefit from it.

Career Services is also working hard to make students aware of the opportunities and resources available through their office.

Brian Reitnour works as the Coordinator of Career Services to help students translate their liberal arts education, which encompasses academics, clubs, sports, and other activities, into vocational opportunities beyond Houghton.

As Reitnour designs events and services for students, he tries to figure out what students want, what employers want, and what he can do to bridge the gap between the two. He said, “On a yearly basis, we have to figure out and re-figure out where we want to put our time and energy.”

One connection between students and professionals is Houghton Connects, a feature of the online Job Shop. This service links current students with alumni who have similar interests so that they can develop a mentoring or advising relationship. Additionally, Houghton alumni who are now employers often return to campus to recruit Houghton students. On March 19, eleven employers will be on campus for the Career Fair from 11:00-2:00.

On HELP Day, March 13, Career Services will offer  job- and internship-search workshops, alternative chapels, and financial management workshops to give students knowledge they will need once they leave Houghton.

Other opportunities for students through Career Services include Teacher Recruitment Days in Buffalo, free transportation to the Rochester Area Career Expo, and individual appointments. Reitnour said he finds individual appointments the most effective because students can pursue the help they want, whether that be for resumes, cover letters, graduate school, application processes, or even choosing a major.

Reitnour stressed that Career Services is not only for seniors, although typically about 50% of each year’s graduating class will utilize their services. His word of advice, applicable to all students regardless of academic class, is “Don’t Wait.” Starting sooner—finding internships, writing resumes, applying for interviews—makes the whole process easier.

Likewise, Dr. Pool emphasized the value of starting early. He said that by the end of sophomore year, students should have finalized their academic plans, established clear vocational goals, know how to maintain high wellness levels, and be creating a network of people who can act as mentors and recommenders. These actions are embedded in the Houghton experience and other services such as the events and resources available through Career Services, but Pool hopes the re-working of Houghton’s transitions programs will make these structures more visible and effective.

Surveys show that Houghton students are prepared to encounter the world and become effective leaders in work, ministry, and missions, but Pool said, “We always want to do better.”