MCLA Holding 25th Community Day of Service
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts will hold its 25th annual Community Day of Service on Saturday, April 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at worksites throughout North Adams and the greater community.
Everyone is invited to join in this effort, which will kick off at 9 a.m. at MCLA's Venable Gym in the Amsler Campus Center, with registration and a welcome by MCLA President James F. Birge, North Adams Mayor Richard Alcombright and Spencer Moser, director of MCLA's Center for Service and Citizenship.
According to Moser, this year is special in that it marks the 25th anniversary of this annual spring day of service. Participants will meet in the larger Venable Gym because the event has outgrown its previous location in the MCLA Church Street Center.
Moser expects about 150 MCLA students and approximately 50 community volunteers and leaders will participate this Saturday.
"We continue to identify important projects that bring MCLA students and community members together as we combine our efforts to make a better North Adams through a diverse array of projects at a wide variety of work sites," Moser said.
This year, worksites will include the Friendship Center Food Pantry, Roots Teen Center, Figment at Windsor Lake, North Adams Habitat for Humanity, Hillside Cemetery, North Adams Visitor Center, New Hope Church in North Adams and Louison House in Adams.
The effort also will include a street clean-up in the West End along Demond Avenue, along the Mobile in Motion Walking Loop in North Adams, as well as a HooRWA River Clean Up. In addition, volunteers will dismantle the Sperry Avenue garden and move the soil to the garden at the Berkshire Food Project and plant flowers in pocket parks scattered around North Adams.
At MCLA, other volunteers will crochet recycled plastic bags into sleeping mats that will be donated to agencies that work with the homeless.
"As they conclude the spring semester, MCLA student clubs and sports teams look forward to this day of community building and engagement," Spencer said. "It’s a great way to get outside and into the community and take a break from studying."
At the conclusion of this activity, participants will return to Venable Gym to celebrate with pizza as they share their experiences and reflect on the day. For more information and specific site information, contact Moser at spencer.moser@mcla.edu or 413-662-5251.
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