September 28, 2007
The Vincentian influence under which St. John’s University was
founded 138 years ago is still very much alive today. On September
22, approximately 1,400 St. John’s alumni, students and faculty
took part in the Sixth Annual University Service Day to honor the
spirit of St. Vincent de Paul by volunteering in the communities
surrounding our New York campuses.
At St. John’s campuses, volunteers watched videos of activities
from past years and were given t-shirts with the Service Day logo
“What a Difference a Day Makes” before heading off to their
respective sites. Prayer services were also held in Queens and
Staten Island to ask for God’s blessing on the day’s
activities.
Volunteers then divided into more than 100 teams and traveled to
soup kitchens, nursing homes, playgrounds, parks, and schools
throughout the metropolitan area. Team members participated in
projects including painting, cleaning, visiting the elderly and
playing with children.
The alumni who took part in the day’s events were grateful for
the opportunity to reconnect with the values of the institution
that impacted their lives as students. Bill Fornaro ’71CBA, ’78MBA,
who volunteered with his family said, “We decided to participate in
University Service Day because it is a chance for the entire family
to do something together. My wife and I are both alums so it is
truly a St. John’s activity.”
“At one point, I found myself in great need and was blessed to
receive help,” recalled Colleen Costello ’90CBA. “I believe it is
our obligation as humans and as Christians to serve one another,
not looking for recognition or acknowledgement from others, but
simply because it is the right thing to do.”
Service Day is a University-wide celebration scheduled each year
on the fourth Saturday in September to coincide with the feast of
St. Vincent de Paul (September 27), and involves the campus
community embodying the University core value of service and its
Vincentian mission. A small group of University volunteers
participated in the inaugural University Service Day in 2002. Each
year the event has grown, culminating in this year’s record
–breaking number of volunteers.
Read more about the
Sixth Annual University Service Day.