Over 500 Volunteers Participate in Stockton College Day of Service

Over 500 students, faculty and staff worked on community projects in Atlantic and Cape May counties as part of The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey’s 11th fall Day of Service on Saturday.

The projects helped the college show their appreciation for the community, which helped $25.36 million in the college’s “You Make the Difference” comprehensive fundraising campaign, which ended on June 30.

More than 30 service projects took place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Galloway campus and at local businesses and organizations.

A number of projects focused on the environment, including building osprey-nesting platforms, planting fall crops at the college farm and cleaning up the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) Environmental Park in Egg Harbor Township, the nature trail at the Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton College in Galloway and sites on Stockton’s campus.

Six freshmen sawed, drilled and attached screws to four wooden osprey-nesting platforms, under the supervision of Jon Rosky, an adjunct professor in the School of Business’ Hospitality and Tourism Management Studies program.

Two of them will replace deteriorated nest platforms in the back bay behind Ventnor and Margate, one will go along Route 30 between Absecon and Atlantic City and the fourth site is yet to be determined, Rosky said.

Previous platforms built for ospreys, (a large, fish-eating hawk which happens to be the college mascot), have worked, Rosky said.

“On Thursday night I paddled my kayak past a nest (behind Margate) built by students two years ago and there were two birds in the nest ready to leave,” Rosky said. “When the birds are fledged (able to fly), that’s a success.”

Volunteers planted crops including broccoli, kale, red cabbage and spinach at Stockton’s organic farm run by students on the Galloway campus.

Mary Pham of Haddon Township, and Jessica Webster, of Estell Manor, co-manage the operation, which features composting and a solar panel to power an irrigation pump.

The site has no other source of power, so water is collected in an elevated catchment system and mostly gravity is used to get the water to the field for irrigation.

On-campus projects included making teddy bears for use in hospitals and emergency rooms. “Project Linus” was staffed by members of Circle K, a campus club that is part of an umbrella of organizations led by Kiwanis International. “I can sew and I enjoy showing others how to do it,” said Zuleika Delgado, of Cape May Court House. “Having the opportunity to put a smile on a child’s face when they get a teddy bear is priceless.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve sewed, but it’s really fun and a good cause,” said Christian Blackwell of Newark, a junior majoring in Social Work.

Students helped children and families at Stanley Holmes Village garden apartments in Atlantic City with their annual Back to School Cookout and Health Fair.

Activities included face painting, balloon sculpting, serving food and gathering the children to enjoy fun activities, said Dr. Merydawilda Colón, interim executive director of the Stockton Center for Community Engagement and professor of Social Work.

Colón served as Stockton project leader, and students from the Stockton chapter of the Golden Key International Honor Society volunteered.

Volunteers worked with the Eastern Service Workers Association (ESWA) to canvas the neighborhood to inform workers of their rights and benefits due to loss of work and casino closings in Atlantic City.

“This is the third year the Girl Scouts came to campus for a College-101 Experience Day,” said Diana Strelczyk of the Office of Service-Learning, which helps organize the event along with the Office of Student Development and the Division of Student Affairs. “This allows girls from environments where college is not a given to experience a day-in-the-life through teambuilding activities, a faux college class and small workshops.”

Other projects included digital preservation of historical photos and documents for the African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey, located in the Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton College in Atlantic City. Volunteers also worked for The Shores at Wesley Manor, a senior living facility in Ocean City, and distributed information on the Community Food Bank at Kennedy Park in Somers Point. The Mays Landing Merchants Association got help with data entry and social media to promote its activities.