From Boxing Gloves To Baby Formula, Students Are Supporting Organizations In Our Community

Students in Professor Renee Adamany’s SOC 127: Interpersonal and Group Dynamics course have been out in the community this semester, pouring their time and energy into their service-learning projects and making an impact on local organizations.

Boxing: That’s where the idea for Human Services major Patricia McGuire’s project started. Her two sons are learning the fundamentals of the sport from Jacki Kinnicutt–Sawyer, Director, Schenectady Ring of Hope Boxing Club. Every week Jacki works with middle school and high school students at Washington Irving Education Center. While volunteering during the boxing class, Patricia noticed that there weren’t enough boxing gloves for everyone, so she and John May, the other member of her service-learning group, got to work. They set up a go fund me account and collected donations to purchase boxing gloves, a punching bag, overhead light covers, and Rocky T-shirts, as well as gift cards and corn hole games.

Patricia shared, “My project partner John, who is a Chemical Dependency Counseling major, and I worked together to give these students hope and support on future endeavors. I enjoyed the opportunity to not just collect donations for their program, but to also see their smiling faces. This wasn’t just a project, it was also a chance to say, ‘I will encourage you to pursue your goals and we believe in you.’ “

Washington Irving Principal Maria DeNovio said, “We are incredibly grateful for the work that Patricia and John did for our program. Our students are part of a small school program, and the additional resources this project provides will enrich the experiences we can offer during the school year. Our partnership with Jacki at Ring of Hope has opened doors of opportunity that our students have never had before. Their excitement was palpable and will be something they remember the rest of their lives!”

Standing: Students Amber Ferdula, Kelsey Daverin, Shiverly Flavius and seated: Mariah Becker and Madison Tribley, inside The Wildwood Cupboard.

Amber Ferdula and her group members focused on supporting employees at Wildwood Programs, an organization that offers support and services for individuals with developmental disabilities, complex learning disabilities, and autism spectrum disorders. She and most of the other students in her group are employees of Wildwood themselves, taking SUNY Schenectady’s Direct Support Professional Microcredential, and they wanted to increase what was on the shelves of The Wildwood Cupboard, a free resource for staff facing financial or food insecurities. They organized a bottle drive and collected donations from the Regional Food Bank, as well as from family and friends, including non-perishables such as peanut butter, jelly, pasta, personal hygiene products, household items, baby essentials, baby clothes, and refillable water bottles. Thanks to the students, those items are all now on the shelves of The Wildwood Cupboard.

Amber shared, “It was fulfilling to be able to give back to an agency pantry, in order to ensure the basic needs of staff are met so that everyone is better able to focus on their respective jobs. This project showed us how generous our community can be and how much we can accomplish when we come together. It was especially rewarding to see how well we collaborated across departments (and even agencies) to support an important cause, reminding us of the power of teamwork and community impact.”