At Fisher, Saturdays are for Service

Each fall, small armies of St. John Fisher College students complete service activities at agencies and organizations in the Rochester community through the Service Saturdays initiative.

Among those students was Joseph Current ’22, a Service Scholar from Elma, New York, who participated in Service Saturdays to get a head start on giving back to the community and learn about his new hometown. He volunteered at Bethany House, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, and Habitat for Humanity.

That meant rolling up his sleeves to remove a 10-foot pricker bush; organizing cans by expiration date; painting bedrooms for residents at Bethany House; and raking leaves, branches, and pine needles off the sidewalks surrounding the cemetery.

“These were very meaningful experiences because they helped me accomplish my goals of giving back and learning more about the community surrounding me at Fisher,” Current said. “I liked learning about Rochester and working with other students from my classes the most during my time volunteering.”

Fellow freshman Taylor LaValley ’22 volunteered at Foodlink, washing two food trucks used as mobile food pantries and sorting and packing boxes of condiments and spices for food pantries in the Rochester area. LaValley also did grounds clean-up at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery and helped make small repairs to a home through Habitat for Humanity.

“My favorite part of Service Saturdays was being able to volunteer with dedicated, compassionate Fisher students as we all worked together to positively impact our community,” said LaValley, who is studying nursing and Spanish for the health care profession. “I think service is a way to strengthen our own personal values, characteristics, and sense of community, by giving back to those who could use assistance.”