Local Student Begins Providence College Career Volunteering in Community
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Benjamin T. Wampler, son of Scott and Kristen Wampler of Pittsfield, was among nearly 150 Providence College Class of 2020 incoming first-year students who participated in Urban Action, a program that supports community service projects in the Providence, R.I., community.
Volunteering for Urban Action, under the leadership of upper classmates, increases a new student's understanding of urban issues while simultaneously introducing them to Providence. PC's 26th annual Urban Action program took place from Aug. 22-24.
PC students worked in the Providence community at the 02908 Club, a local off-campus housing group, in the Elmhurst neighborhood; in the Pleasant Valley Parkway area several blocks from the College; and with the Smith Hill Community Development Corporation in the Smith Hill area.
Urban Action volunteers have worked at wildlife preserves and community farms in the suburbs, as well as along riverbanks and in playgrounds and parks in and around Providence. A focal point for the last several years was Neutaconkanut Hill, an 88-acre recreational park in Providence.
Students also will participate in similar neighborhood projects throughout the academic year.
Urban Action was initiated by Providence College students in 1991, with 17 students volunteering the first year. Since then, more than 3,500 freshmen have participated, with many returning as leaders. The program provides incoming students with an opportunity to make a positive difference in the community that will be their "home away from home" for the next four years.
Founded in 1917, Providence College is the only college or university in the United States administered by the Dominican Friars. The Catholic, liberal arts college has an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 3,900 students and offers degrees in 49 academic majors. Since 1997, Providence College consistently has been ranked among the top five regional universities in the North according to U.S. News & World Reports' "America's Best Colleges."
