On Saturday, Jan. 26, the Hamilton Association for Volunteering, Outreach and Charity (HAVOC) held its 21st-annual MLK Jr. Day of Service. Along with Make A Difference Day in the fall semester, the MLK Jr. Day of Service is one of HAVOC’s largest volunteer events. Working alongside other organizations and people on campus, including the Community Outreach and Opportunity Project (COOP) and Director of Community Outreach Amy James, HAVOC connects with various volunteer sites in the neighboring communities, particularly in Clinton and Utica, to send student volunteers for a day of helping others.
Sites this year included nursing homes, daycare centers, farms and animal shelters many of which HAVOC regularly partners with throughout the year. Organizations like the Thea Bowman House, Spring Farm Cares, and the Study Buddies program participate in larger volunteer events while also working with HAVOC on a weekly and monthly basis.
For the MLK Jr. Day event, students had the option of signing up as individuals or as groups, incentivizing them to work together with friends, sports teams, clubs, and other groups during a day of volunteering.
Walt Westhoff ’21, the co-director of HAVOC, said “turnout this year was very similar to previous years. This year, we did not have as many sites, due to the large amounts of snow shutting down most outdoor sites. If it weren’t for the snow, we would be able to have even more volunteers.”
Still, despite the weather, many students came out and spent their Saturday giving back to the community. For many volunteers, it was not their first time participating.
“I try to volunteer on campus as much as I can, but I wish I could volunteer more,” said Yuri Choi ’21. “It’s a little hard to find time to make time for everything. I do volunteer every service day that is available and I will continue to do so.”
Other students described the sense of fulfillment derived from volunteer work.
“What I love most about volunteering is the fact that I’m making a change, no matter how small,” said Noemi Meli ’21. “I love the idea of helping people and giving back to my community.”
Kayla White ’21 agreed, saying, “What I like most about volunteering is the fact that I never regret doing it. It’s such a rewarding experience to see the kind of impact that the fewest hours of help with clean up or the minutes spent helping someone with homework makes.
“It makes you realize that it really isn’t hard to lift someone’s spirits, and it kind of instills this hope and inspiration in you from the downright happiness that results from just helping someone out.”
Going forward, HAVOC plans to continue providing opportunities for those who want to volunteer. Westhoff said that the group hopes to “grow the MLK Jr. Day of Service even more, adding even more sites and allowing more students to volunteer.”
