AC
Allyson Church
  • Psychology
  • Class of 2016
  • Binghamton, NY

Allyson Church of Binghamton, NY, Participates in SUNY Oneonta's Freshman Service Day

2013 Sep 13

Allyson Church of Binghamton, NY, was one of 202 SUNY Oneonta freshmen who spent their first full day in Oneonta volunteering in the community. Students moved into their residence halls on Sunday, Aug. 25, and participated in the college's sixth annual Freshman Service Day the next day.

Church, whose SUNY Oneonta major is Psychology, is a graduate of Chenango Forks Central.

Students worked at 19 volunteer sites in and around Oneonta, doing everything from painting and yardwork to helping elementary school teachers prepare classrooms for the new school year. Some students spent the day in canoes, helping the Otsego County Conservation Association to remove invasive water chestnuts from a local wetland.

Organized by the college's Center for Social Responsibility and Community, Freshman Service Day had record participation this year. In addition to the 202 freshman volunteers, 30 upperclassmen and two faculty members participated as team leaders.

Besides helping new students meet friends, Freshman Service Day gives students a chance to get to know their new community, and it often sets the stage for ongoing volunteer work. Collectively, SUNY Oneonta students volunteer more than 50,000 hours every year through the Center for Social Responsibility and Community in collaboration with nearly 100 different nonprofit agencies in Otsego County.

A liberal arts college focused on teaching and learning, SUNY Oneonta ranks 16th among the "Top Public Regional Universities--North" in the 2014 U.S. News and World Report rankings, sits at No. 59 on the Kiplinger's magazine list of the "100 Best Values in Public Colleges" and has been recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for excellence in community engagement. The college enrolls 6,000 students in its 70 undergraduate majors and 15 graduate programs.