SU, ESF Give Back to Neighborhood for Earth Day

The Office of Off-Campus and Commuter Services, within the Division of Student Affairs, hosts its annual Earth Day Community-Wide Clean-up on Saturday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Each year, more than 100 SU and ESF students, faculty, staff and Syracuse-area residents gather to pick up litter in the University neighborhood. Volunteers are needed and can sign up on the SU Earth Day website.

Participants will meet at the Westcott Community Center at 10 a.m. for breakfast and to receive materials and assignments.  They will then head out to clean the neighborhood with their community partners, the South East University Neighborhood Association (SEUNA).

“This is a long-standing partnership between the University and surrounding community,” says Kerry Heckman, assistant director for Off-Campus and Commuter Services.  “It is a great opportunity for students to give back to the neighborhood in which they live and strengthen the bonds with their neighbors.”

For the last several years, Earth Day has also served as the capstone on SU’s Adopt-A-Street program. To date, this year’s program included 352 students from 19 student organizations volunteering more than 350 hours of service and filling almost 100 bags of trash in the University neighborhood.

“SEUNA looks forward to Earth Day each year; not only for getting the area picked up, but for the chance to work alongside students,” says Harry Lewis, treasurer of SEUNA. “We are very grateful for the block cleanups that take place throughout the year, and are lucky to be able to live among the students, as they give a vibrancy to an area that has been voted one of the 10 best areas to live in the U.S.”

For more information, please contact the Office of Off-Campus and Commuter Services at 443-5489 or offcampus@syr.edu.