Into the Streets: 360 Incoming Freshmen to Volunteer throughout Mid-shore Community, August 22

Chestertown, MD, August 8, 2003 — Washington College will hold its fifth annual "Into the Streets" day of community service August 22, 2003. The incoming freshman class-360 students in all-will volunteer its time and efforts at 18 sites on the Mid-Shore. The day will begin at 9 a.m. with an on-campus pep rally before the students head "Into the Streets."
"This has been a very successful program over the last five years," said Vicky Sawyer, Associate Director of Career Development and Overseer of Service Learning at Washington College. "Through it, our new students are introduced to a sense of connection with the Eastern Shore community in which they will reside. It's a practical way to teach citizenship and to encourage civic responsibility."
Students will assist in a variety of human service, community and environmental projects for various organizations on the Mid-Shore, including the Adkins Arboretum at Tuckahoe State Park, Camp Fairlee Manor Recreation & Education Center, the Chesapeake Environmental Center, the Chestertown Cemetery, the Community Food Pantry at Christ Methodist Church, Eastern Neck Island National Wildlife Refuge, the Kent Family Center, Echo Hill Outdoor School, Kent County Parks and Recreation, Magnolia Hall Nursing Home, and the Pickering Creek Audubon Center.
The "Into the Streets" day of service was started by Washington College alumni Gia Grier '02 and Kathryn Preen '00. After attending the 1999 Campus Outreach Opportunity League (COOL) Conference as students, they worked with Sawyer to develop and increase service learning programs on and off campus. "Into the Streets" specifically was created to provide incoming freshman and transfer students a day to experience the variety of Mid-Shore organizations that welcome student volunteers.
"'Into the Streets' provides our incoming students their first foray into their new community," said Sawyer. "It is a way to find kindred spirits and friends and encourage student initiative and community involvement." For more information on "Into the Streets," or if you represent a community organization seeking student volunteers, contact Vicky Sawyer at 410-778-7892.