Students make a difference

‘ ‘ ‘ Few people knew what exactly would happen on the first annual Pitt Make a Difference Day… ‘ ‘ ‘ Few people knew what exactly would happen on the first annual Pitt Make a Difference Day on Saturday, but many showed up ready to make whatever difference they could. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘None of us knew what we were getting into,’ said senior Anthony Sfrisi. ‘But we’ve been taking out any aggression on the plants.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ At the Vanucci Park project site, two busloads of students helped to clear out overgrowth and illegally dumped debris in the targeted section of the Beechview Greenway. Despite the physically demanding nature of the work, the students remained positive toward their goal. ‘ ‘ ‘ Those 80 students were only one part of the inaugural Pitt Make a Difference Day, when approximately 2,000 students throughout the city spent a day of volunteering for tasks ranging from conservationism, to general cleaning and organizing, to working with ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. ‘ ‘ ‘ The event, sponsored in large part by the Division of Student Affairs, sent 40 yellow buses loaded with students to more than 45 locations throughout the greater Pittsburgh area. The attendees played on the slogan ‘the city is our campus.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Student Government Board members Ryan Haddad and Amanda Reed coordinated the event after pitching the idea to Student Affairs back in February. According to Haddad, who ran for SGB on a platform of improving quality of life at Pitt, apathy is a major issue on campus. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Everyone complains how bad it is, but we have a hand in this. It’s our responsibility; it’s our neighborhood, our campus. It’s our job to maintain it,’ he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ Three days before the event, more than 3,000 students were registered to attend, including about 20 student groups, most of the sororities and fraternities and about 125 residence hall floors. On the day of the event, about 2,000 volunteers showed up. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We never expected this many people. We never doubted it, but we didn’t want to chase after people either,’ said Haddad. ‘ ‘ ‘ He later said that the turnout abided by the two-thirds philosophy, which is the belief that two-thirds of the people who say they will attend an event actually go. ‘ ‘ ‘ The throng of participants crowding the William Pitt Union lawn at 8 a.m. kept the event’s staff busy. ‘ ‘ ‘ Upon arrival, volunteers were required to sign in and then proceed to the lawn, where they could pick up a free T-shirt and complimentary drinks and snacks. A disc jockey provided entertainment and a distraction from the chilly weather. ‘ ‘ ‘ After a few delays, including the late arrival of the transportation and slight impatience among the crowd during a lengthy address, which included a presentation of this year’s nominees for homecoming king and queen, students were dismissed to their assigned busses. ‘ ‘ ‘ According to the interim executive director of Allegheny CleanWays, Myrna Newman, Vanucci Park was the third cleanup at the site in the past year, and because people have been dumping items in the ‘hot spot’ for at least 50 years, there are health hazard concerns. ‘ ‘ ‘ The goal for the day was that the students would be able to clear the majority of the small and mid-sized waste, leaving the larger items, like cars and appliances, to be cleared by a contractor company. ‘ ‘ ‘ Historically, not many volunteers have helped to clear the site, said Amy Bianco, a Pitt alum and member of Pretty Up Beechview!, a community group working to conserve the Greenway. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It’s very well-organized, and the students are really doing a great job,’ said Lynnett Van Slyke, the director of the Pitt’s Disability Resources and Services department and the designated site director. ‘ ‘ ‘ In another cleanup effort across town, more than 80 volunteers worked with the West Homestead Police Department to pick up trash and beautify the West Homestead and Homestead communities. As a thank-you, each volunteer received a roll of Nickelodeon’s CatDog cartoon wrapping paper. ‘ ‘ ‘ At the East Liberty Warehouse for the Salvation Army, students worked under the direction of dean of students Kathy Humphrey and the Army’s Major Mackneer to clean the warehouse and sort thousands of toys. ‘ ‘ ‘ Mackneer said that about 35,000 new toys were donated for the annual Operation Toy Lift and Treasures programs. ‘ ‘ ‘ According to the Salvation Army Web site, Operation Toy Lift is a program that gives prisoners an opportunity to send presents to their children. The donated toys are usually sorted in the second week of November, but the event volunteers got an early start. After setting up cubicles around the warehouse, students unloaded large boxes and organized the toys according to age and type. ‘ ‘ ‘ Humphrey also got in on the action. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I’m in my favorite area: dolls. I love dolls,’ said Humphrey. ‘ ‘ ‘ Many of the toys will also go to benefit the Treasures for Children program. According to the Web site, it is a collaboration between the Salvation Army and the community where department stores, schools, churches and banks host Christmas trees bearing papers with the names of underprivileged children who otherwise might not receive Christmas presents. ‘ ‘ ‘ As another part of the event, one busload of Pitt students was sent to a Penn Hills neighborhood to help the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition crew. ‘ ‘ ‘ Haddad and Reed said they were delighted with the success of the event’s first year. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We’re so grateful to everyone that’s gotten involved, and I think we’re just pretty excited,’ said Haddad. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Yeah, super excited,’ added Reed. ‘ ‘ ‘ For those who did not participate in the event, but still want to get involved, the national Make A Difference Day is Oct. 25. Pitt’s observance of the volunteering day was bumped up one week because of homecoming events.