JPHP students checking in with peer leaders
JAYDEN GONZALEZ / THE QUADRANGLE
Barbara Vasquez, Editor-in-Chief
Manhattan University (MU) hosted the community engagement fair this Friday, Sept. 11, in an effort to open community service opportunities to students.
The fair, sponsored by the James Patterson Honors Program (JPHP) and MU community engagement, brought 12 local organizations to campus that do service work around the neighborhood. Opportunities ranged from nearby community clean-ups and outreach to post-grad communes and youth service.
Altagracia Faith and Justice Works were just one organization that made an appearance at the fair. A Catholic nonprofit, the group is centered on empowering community leaders to “put faith into action” through service and social justice opportunities. The Quadrangle spoke to Tiffany Lee, executive director of Altagracia, about what drew them to the fair.
“We’ve been working with MU for almost 10 years now, and we’ve loved working with students in a variety of different ways,” Lee said. “We’ve had students come for one-time volunteer opportunities… we’ve had interns stay with us for multiple years and really get invested in the work that we’re doing. So, we always love the opportunity to come out, meet new students and get to share our work and invite people to be part of it.”
Altagracia offers a number of different possibilities to get involved, from helping with their online outreach to in-person community service, lending a hand at their community fridge in Inwood.
“As a very small but mighty nonprofit, we have lots of different opportunities,” Lee said. “…We can use lots of different support, different talents, gifts and expertise.”
Across the street from MU’s main entrance sits the Methodist Home for Nursing and Rehabilitation, another group that showed out at the event. The Methodist Home is a 120-bed facility providing both rehabilitative support and hospice care to nearby residents.
For MU students, the home provides an opportunity to complete service hours and develop professionally, all while connecting with community members. Denise Bernal, director of therapeutic recreation and volunteer services at the Methodist Home, said the partnership benefits both sides.
“We are neighbors, so it’s always nice to have part of the students come and share their abilities and talents, and just engage with our residents,” Bernal said. “… maybe we’ve had some students come in, not sure of what to do with their professional lives, and they discover different areas that they would potentially be interested in working in. That’s always nice to help them shape and develop.”
The community engagement fair did not only offer students opportunities for the present, but for post-graduation as well.
The Center at Mariandale, a spiritual retreat center, tabled at the engagement fair and spoke to students about what they had to offer: various social justice opportunities throughout the academic year, as well as a 10-month residency at the center, with community service hours as the only cost of living there.
Liam Myers, the representative for the Center at Mariandale table, had been through the program after college. For him, it provided the space for him to figure out exactly what he wanted to do while also servicing his community. He also detailed other opportunities students could join in on, like their upcoming day of reflection focusing on water and spirituality, joined by Kevin Ahern, Ph.D., associate professor of religious and peace studies at MU.
“I think it’s so important, when you’re in college, to take in as much as you can,” Myers said. “It’s four years where you’re really able to build what you’re studying, see what’s in the community. I think it’s always a gift when you’re able to be a part of something in your area.” There were several more local groups for the MU community to get involved in, all within minutes from campus. The Stewards of Brust Park, for example, is a volunteer-founded group, giving students the chance to clean up and revive the ecosystem of the community’s greenspace.
For those looking to get involved with food insecurity, the Friendly Fridge Bx relies on volunteers to help stock up their pantry and feed the community. The Riverdale Rapid Response Group monitors ICE activity in the area, alerting locals when the organization is nearby.
Jaslene Beau, a sophomore sociology major at MU, has been seeking community service opportunities over the summer to no avail. Coming to this fair gave her the chance to learn more about these organizations, face-to-face.
“I’m interested in a lot of different things, like working with the community, working with kids, working soup kitchens, Friendly Fridge, nature… all those things,” Beau said. “But I was especially hoping to find something that could help me get experience in my major, so hearing some of the programs where you can work directly with people was very good.”
For Beau, community engagement is something she prioritizes.
“It’s important to me because I want to feel more connected to the community,” Beau said. “I want to get out there, have more experiences, and I want to contribute to something as a whole.”
The community engagement fair drew hundreds of students to the quad over the event’s length. For both the campus and neighboring communities, the fair was a meaningful way to build connections with one another.
“We’re realizing all the ways that we’re interconnected,” Lee said. “There are MU alums that are now working with these community organizations, [and] the connections go on and on. I think the impact for students right now, I hope, is really meaningful that you have direct access to community organizations that are inviting you to get involved, and take on important roles, leadership, and just get involved and taking action.”
To stay updated on MU and its work with the nearby community, follow @mu_communityengagement on Instagram.
*Editor’s Note: Sarah Rolka contributed to reporting.