On the morning of Saturday, Sept. 7, students associated with campus organizations and those hoping to represent Hamilton as a volunteer joined Hamilton Association for Volunteering, Outreach, and Charity (HAVOC) for their annual Make a Difference Day. Everyone involved volunteered at one of the over 20 non-profit agencies in Oneida County. Transportation to the sites was provided by the College.

Before the groups dispersed, participants gathered in the Fillius Events Barn at 10:30 AM to collect their pre-made lunches and Make a Difference Day t-shirts, in addition to listening to the uplifting speeches of the director of Community Outreach Amy James and HAVOC co-director Jonina Mignon ’21.

“It’s incredible to see how so many students, all with varying interests and from different walks of life, all come together on this day to help out at nursing homes, schools, libraries, farms, and so many other sites in the area,” said Mignon. “We had almost 250 volunteers this year and we actually had to close the registration form the night before the deadline because we had so many people interested in volunteering.”

One campus club, Philanthropy Committee, travelled to the Colonial Park Rehabilitation & Nursing Center for their service project. Located a half-hour away from campus in Rome, NY, the facility provides healthcare and therapeutic services, overnight care, and meals to their residents. When volunteers come to the Center, they are asked to converse with the residents, facilitate fun activities, and even paint their nails.

“We were engaging with residents over bingo, nail painting, getting our butts handed to us in games of Yahtzee, and, above all, great conversation,” said former Philanthropy Committee President Mason Sheridan ’20. “Through establishing a solid foundation in the hours we spent there, the committee has begun a partnership with the center, and have already made plans to return and volunteer at their annual fair later this month.”

One Colonial Park resident mentioned to a member of the Philanthropy Committee that many residents do not have people who can visit them, so they are grateful when volunteers come to spend quality time with them. Comments like these align with the goals of Make a Difference Day, which seeks to connect Hamilton students to opportunities to impact the community surrounding Clinton in meaningful ways.

Some of Hamilton’s Greek life organizations participated as well. One sorority, Phi Beta Chi (PBX), spent a portion of their day volunteering at a Habitat for Humanity site, where they stained a front porch with a group of other students and professors.

“[The project] was for low-income families who don’t necessarily have time to do things on their own homes, so they apply to Habitat to have things done,” said Kelly Collins ’21. “We were there with Professor Orvis staining a front porch before the winter so that it wouldn’t rot.”

Other volunteers worked on a wide variety of projects such as polishing the kitchen at Hope House, cleaning the Utica Children’s Museum, and weeding the garden at Clinton Elementary School.

Mignon expressed her gratitude for the effort put in by everyone involved, saying, “It’s really exciting that this day is getting even bigger!

“In the future, we’re hoping to add more sites to accommodate the growing number of people interested in participating in Make a Difference Day.”