August 31, 2012

Elms students are inspired, enlightened by Dorothy Day Program

 

REGIONAL

Story and photos by David Martin

CHICOPEE – Elms College students feel good about themselves and gain a sense of accomplishment by participating in the Dorothy Day Program.

The program requires students to volunteer at several ministries sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph.

The students, mostly freshmen, arrived on Sunday, Aug. 26 and completed community service projects from Monday through Thursday of that week.

The Dorothy Day Program originated when students were asked to arrive on campus a week early to help organize, clean and put the finishing touches on the Homework House in Holyoke when it was being established back in 2006. Sister of St. Joseph Carol Allan, director of campus ministry at Elms, said six students participated during the first year of the program and 45 students are participating this year.

Sister Allan noted that the program helps familiarize students with the heritage of the Sisters of St. Joseph, who founded Elms College in 1928.

“This is a way for our students to get to know the heritage and our sisters on a personal way and see where we live. That gives us a relationship as a college with our founding sisters,” Sister Allan said.

This year, as in 2006, students helped to paint, sharpen pencils, sweep the floors and make the Homework House ready for the start of the academic year. Some participants were returning for a second year to help guide students as leaders in the program. One of these students is Eugene Sobon, a senior accounting and paralegal major.

Sobon said the Dorothy Day Program helps incoming freshmen since they may be nervous and hesitant, but by performing community service they get to know the school and the community. Then they become comfortable talking with other leaders.

Sobon said the program, in which he has participated for the past three years, has taught him that a lot of hard work goes a long way and could have a great outcome. “It gives you a moral boost; it opens your eyes about what is around and how it helps the community especially. It is a great feeling,” said Sobon.

Many students helped out at Mont Marie in Holyoke. They performed landscaping chores, including removing weeds, cutting the grass, trimming branches and preparing a labyrinth for a meditation service. They also implemented different activities with many of the retired sisters there. One student who participated in this aspect of the program was Samantha O’Neil, a freshman psychology major.

O’Neil said she enjoyed spending time with the retired sisters and doing arts and crafts with them, such as creating clay butterflies. O’Neil also was able to meet residents in the health care center and have one-on-one conversation with them in their rooms.

“Every time we meet someone new, they tell us that they appreciate us being here and how they like looking outside and how much better it looks – and it just makes you feel good and happy that they are happy,” said O’Neil.

O’Neil said the Dorothy Day Program has inspired her to continue volunteering for community service during her education at Elms College.

The program was named for Dorothy Day, a Catholic woman who, in the 20^th century, ministered to those in poverty.

Tyler Tomascak is a freshman student who has a special connection to the legacy of Dorothy Day. His father is among the operators of The Giving Garden, in Brookfield, Conn., where he lives. It is a charity that grows fruits and vegetables that are donated to the Dorothy Day Center.

Tomascak said he gets much satisfaction out of volunteering for both programs that were inspired by Dorothy Day. He said he is very lucky since there are others who are less fortunate than he, so he feels it is his duty to help them by performing community service.

“It brings you closer to other people, it gives you perspective in life. You get a lot of good skills from it and it just helps pretty much everything,” said Tomascak.

Other students participating in the Dorothy Day Program volunteered at ministries in Springfield at The Gray House, the Open Pantry Teen Living Program and the Open Pantry Emergency Food Pantry.

Students in the program returned to Elms College at the end of each day, for dinner and a fun period. They then reflected on their experience both individually and collectively.