Hear some of our Le Moyne College graduates reflect upon their experience with service while at Le Moyne College
Art Colligan '77
"Working as a volunteer increased my awareness of the sufferings of those who are poor and disabled. Belonging to a community where people were helping others increased my faith and my belief that there are good people who care about the less fortunate."
"I volunteered for Project Inner City during my freshman year to work with children at the Vincent House Community Center in an after-school school program. I joined Intentional House during my sophomore year and worked at Unity Soup Kitchen. During my junior and senior years, I lived at International House and became involved with the Hunger Action Committee on-campus while performing other types of volunteer work as needed."
"Students should try to find time in their busy schedules to do volunteer work because it will help to provide a balance to their studies and campus life. It's good to be involved with people from other walks of life to assist you in gaining insight into your own life."
Peg Pavone Kennedy '78
"During my freshman year at Le Moyne, my future brother-in-law and I took weekly trips to St. Joseph’s Hospital to conduct a physical education class for students who were attending an inpatient program for children with emotional and behavioral disorders. This experience eventually influenced my decision to pursue a career in child and family therapy. Looking back, I realize that the love and compassion that the teacher had for each child was what transformed them and impressed me most of all. To this day, I still believe that we grow through caring relationships - more so than actions - in both our personal or professional lives."
"The most life-changing service experience while at Le Moyne was spent in Mexico during the summer before my Junior year. I worked in a girl’s dormitory at the orphanage Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos y Hermanas. I got the girls up and off doing their chores, coached them in baseball, settled them in at night and spent time picking lice nits from their hair during the day. But whatever insight I offered those 90 young girls in that dorm was a drop in a bucket compared to everything that I learned from them. These girls were teaching me another language, changing my views about other cultures—including my own—and showing me that I am at home and connected to other people no matter where I find myself."
"Service projects at Le Moyne opened my eyes to experiences outside the campus and helped me to stretch my comfort zone and increased my confidence. I learned to appreciate the reciprocal impact we have on each other and I came to understand the nature of responsibility in ways that was not commonly available through employment in those years. The opportunities I found through serving others led to a career path of meaningful work helping children and families. I hope this tradition of service continues to be an integral part of a student’s education at Le Moyne College."
Jim Clune- Phone Interview from Le Moyne Convergence on Vimeo.