Community service first course for Wheaton freshmen
Monday, August 1999
The 460 students enrolled as freshmen this year at Wheaton College will finish their orientation to college life on Tuesday, Sept. 7 by working as volunteers for municipal and non-profit organizations in Norton, Taunton, Mansfield, Attleboro, Providence, Quincy, Boston and elsewhere.
First-year students and other members of the Wheaton community will fan out across the area, helping to build new homes, plant peace gardens, connect with the elderly and beautify urban areas. This continues the college’s tradition of volunteer work as part of each student’s orientation.
"Students learn about the value of being active citizens and the positive impact that community service can have in making a better world," says President Dale Rogers Marshall. "This work also goes hand-in-hand with the college’s commitment to combining traditional liberal arts study with real-world experience."
This year, President Marshall will join students to work on a mural on a retaining wall along Route 10 for the Woonasquatucket River Greenway Project, which is organized by The Providence Plan, the nonprofit corporation revitalizing the city. The Woonasquatucket River project will provide visible and physical access to the now hidden river through creation of a 4.4-mile greenway and paths from the Johnston/Providence line to Waterplace Park in downtown Providence. Plans also include reopening several parks, promoting economic reinvestment in the neighborhoods along the corridor and developing environmental education opportunities.
Service projects in Norton include beautifying Camp Edith Reid, organizing the Norton Public Library, spending time with residents at Norton Place as well as work with the Norton Land Preservation society and the local Head Start.
In Attleboro, groups will paint the education building at the Capron Park Zoo and the city’s Armory building and plant endangered plants at the Seven Arrows Herb Farm.
Community service projects are also slated for locations in Taunton, Mansfield, Plainville, Quincy and Boston.
Wheaton College is a private coeducational liberal arts college with a 1,350-member student body drawn from 45 states and 35 countries. It is a member of the Twelve College Exchange, which also includes Amherst, Bowdoin, Connecticut College, Dartmouth, Mt. Holyoke, Smith, Trinity, Vassar, Wellesley, Wesleyan and Williams.