More than 20 student members of BLSU recently participated in the first-ever BLSU Day of Service, organized by the COOP as a collaborative effort between the two organizations. Half of the service group volunteered at the Veteran’s Outreach Center and the other half at the Rescue Mission, both nonprofit organizations in the local Utica community.
At the Veteran’s Outreach Center, BLSU members helped set up a library, and at the Rescue Mission they organized donated clothing and helped with food service.
In 2016, students spent 25,643 hours volunteering in the local community.
BLSU Philanthropy Chair Edgar Otero ’20 said “We decided to do this because we are a Union that is deeply invested in not only the Hamilton community but also in our neighbors in Utica. We want to do our part and make community service and philanthropy a priority for BLSU just as much as everything else we do on campus.”
Otero said BLSU members were eager for the opportunity to give back to the local community in need and commit wholeheartedly to service, because that was an area they wanted to strengthen as a group this semester.
“The event proved to be a success thanks to the enthusiasm of our members who were eager to serve, and to the COOP for making it all possible in the first place, and BLSU looks forward to another opportunity for a second Day of Service next semester,” Otero said.
