Media Advisory: Hundreds of student volunteers grab shovels and paintbrushes for UB’s Community Day

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Hundreds of University Buffalo students will fan out throughout Buffalo on Saturday, Nov. 16, as part of the latest UB Community Day, improving neighborhoods while giving student volunteers the chance to participate in community service.

Students will lead and help in various service projects, such as assisting Habitat for Humanity in their project homes, organizing donations at a senior center, helping paint community centers, assisting in outdoor cleanup and doing other useful and fun team-based volunteering.

Where: Students will meet at Room 100 in Allen Hall on UB’s South Campus. They will then be shuttled to locations throughout the city, including parks, churches and neighborhood centers. Organizers have scheduled visits to 12 sites. All volunteers will then return to Allen Hall after their work is finished.

The list of clean-up venues includes: House tear-up for Habitat for Humanity at 256 Rhode Island St.; kitchen clean-up at Macedonia Baptist Church, 237 E. North St.; leaf raking at North Park, 107 Tennyson Ave.; and tree-planting and stringing lights for the Minnesota Block Club on Minnesota Avenue.

When: Volunteers will meet in Allen Hall at 9 a.m. Work at the sites will continue until 1 p.m., when students will return to Allen Hall for lunch and a raffle at 2 p.m. Prizes include an HDTV, Xbox 360 and more to honor the hard work and service of all volunteers.

Why: The university has held several Community Days to clean up neighborhoods or assist local agencies in painting or upgrade projects, helping the community, making better relationships with residents and showing students the value in getting involved in neighborhood projects.

Who: Hundreds of student volunteers have signed up for Saturday’s activities. Volunteers will be given breakfast and lunch. Community Day is sponsored by UB’s Office of Community Relations.

Press arrangements: To contact students or community organizers during the event, call Linwood Roberts at 718-219-6230 or Matthew Kopalek at 607-237-2788.