Fairfield University wins top national award for Hunger Cleanup Program
FAIRFIELD, Conn. - Fairfield University students have won the 1997 Gold Medal for Overall Excellence from Hunger Cleanup, a national program that attracts thousands of students each year from 135 participating colleges and universities. Garnering the silver award was the University of Wisconsin, while the University of Indiana took the bronze. The award will be officially presented on campus on Friday, Feb. 6, at half-time intermission during the Fairfield - St. Peter's basketball game.
This is the third consecutive year that Fairfield has been recognized with overall excellence awards - the gold in 1995 and the silver in 1996. 1994 brought the Award for Greatest Participation. Fairfield first participated in the program in 1989.
Julie Miles, executive director of the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness, praised Fairfield "for helping to set a strong model for the rest of the country." Fairfield, she noted, has focused on building community. "It was a big coalition effort they mobilized with a significant number of volunteers." In addition to individual volunteers, several campus groups support the effort. In 1997 Circle K joined in for the first time and already the men's and women's basketball teams and the Glee Club have signed on for 1998.
The national recognition has brought a sense of pride and accomplishment to the Fairfield campus, but Carolyn Rusiackas, the assistant university chaplain who serves as advisor for the Hunger Cleanup committee, points out that the award is secondary. "It's the doing. The helping is the motivation."
And that helping involved removing litter and providing fresh paint at 31 parks, schools, senior citizen housing and shelters, mostly in Fairfield County on April 12. By collecting pledges for their efforts, the volunteers raised over $5,000, a substantial increase over the $3,530 raised the year before. The number of volunteers increased as well from 350 to 412 and included, in addition to students, some undergraduate and graduate school alumni, friends, faculty and administrators, such as Rev. Charles Allen, S.J., executive assistant to the president, Advancement Vice President George Diffley, and Dean of Students Gwen Vendley. Dr. David Schmidt, associate professor of religious studies and business ethics volunteered with his five-year-old son, while Prof. Suzanne Lyngaas, assistant professor of accounting joined in with her 14-year-old daughter.
To attract such large and diverse volunteers a 23-member committee started meeting in October of 1996, headed by three co-chairs, seniors Kiersten Barrett and Kelly Ann McManus and junior Scott Middlemiss. A good part of the effort was spent on finding nonprofit agencies that needed help with cleanup or painting and then matching the right people to the jobs. The committee designed T-shirts and distributed them to all participants. They also invited volunteers to a simple meal of bread and soup the week before the event to reemphasize what Hunger Cleanup is all about.
"It is really amazing to me how infectious this positive spirit is," noted Carolyn Rusiackas. There never seems to be any real tension and there are such different personalities; the goal always supersedes any personal investment or turf."
Scott Middlemiss, a senior from Methuen, Mass., is chairing the '98 Hunger Cleanup after serving as a co-chair last year. His interest was spurred by a trip to Quito, Ecuador following sophomore year as part of Fairfield's Mission Volunteer Program. Exposed first-hand to people who live in poverty, he returned determined to help the less fortunate and volunteered with groups that help at homeless shelters and soup kitchens.
As a resident assistant at Fairfield, Scott saw the Hunger Cleanup as a way to get some of the younger students involved. The various work sites introduce volunteers to needs in the community and can lead to a deeper commitment, such as the student who spent Hunger Cleanup at a facility for AIDS patients and now volunteers there on a regular basis. Fairfield students volunteer throughout the year at over 40 sites in the Greater Bridgeport area, so there are always plenty of opportunities available for students who find Hunger Cleanup whets their appetite for more volunteer work.
Serving as co-chairs for the '98 campaign are seniors Laura Taylor from Marietta, Ga. and Kristine Reidway from Massapequa, N.Y., along with Jennifer Mazzo, a sophomore from East Norwich, N.Y.
Scott Middlemiss and his committee have been hard at work gearing up for the 1998 Hunger Cleanup. He admits it will be challenging to surpass last year's effort, but he is also confident they will do it.
For contacts, please call Nancy Habetz, 203-254-4000, ext. 2647 or e-mail [email protected]
Julie Miles, executive director of the National Student Campaign Against Hunger is at 310-397-5270, ext. 324.
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