A Semester of Service
Hunter students answer the President's call to volunteer
Milesska Contreras
Issue date: 5/1/09 Section: Features
Since he began his campaign for the American presidency, President Barack Obama has strongly encouraged young people to engage in local, regional, and national service projects. Even during the economic crisis, our President's visible commitment to volunteerism has remained strong. On April 21, 2009, President Obama signed into law a $5.7 billion national service bill that increases the size of the AmeriCorps service programs and will also enable students to earn more funding for college. President Obama's unprecedented dedication to service has been applauded by the press and the public alike.
Although they may not have been getting paid for their activism, many clubs and organizations on campus have caught the spirit for service. This past semester alone, Hunter students raked in hundreds of volunteer hours in the community, in our nation, and in faraway countries around the world.
Groups like the Hostos Puerto Rican club, which is supportive of a variety of ethnic communities but focuses mainly on people of Puerto Rican heritage, is trying to bring awareness to overseas situations with their recent "Free the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners" event. Along with the Proliberated Freedom Campaign, the Hostos Puerto Rican club helps bring the struggle for independence in Puerto Rico to an end.
In a similar vein, Hunter Hillel's mission includes raising international awareness and working for the benefit of the less fortunate worldwide. Every Thursday, Hillel students sell Zaida's Challah in an effort to help construct a school in Sierra Leone under the auspices of the Jeneba Project. Funds are also used to increase awareness about Sudan and the genocide taking place there through initiatives sponsored by American Jewish World Service.
Hillel has also provided service within our borders. "Hunter Has Heart" is a program that invited students to take part in volunteer service learning and advocacy opportunities. This past winter, New Orleans served as the site of rebuilding projects led by Hunter students, who partnered with Habitat for Humanity in the effort to bring relief to the grief stricken city. Hillel's Midnight Run, too, afforded students the opportunity to help the homeless by providing them with food, clothes, and friendly conversation.
Although they may not have been getting paid for their activism, many clubs and organizations on campus have caught the spirit for service. This past semester alone, Hunter students raked in hundreds of volunteer hours in the community, in our nation, and in faraway countries around the world.
Groups like the Hostos Puerto Rican club, which is supportive of a variety of ethnic communities but focuses mainly on people of Puerto Rican heritage, is trying to bring awareness to overseas situations with their recent "Free the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners" event. Along with the Proliberated Freedom Campaign, the Hostos Puerto Rican club helps bring the struggle for independence in Puerto Rico to an end.
In a similar vein, Hunter Hillel's mission includes raising international awareness and working for the benefit of the less fortunate worldwide. Every Thursday, Hillel students sell Zaida's Challah in an effort to help construct a school in Sierra Leone under the auspices of the Jeneba Project. Funds are also used to increase awareness about Sudan and the genocide taking place there through initiatives sponsored by American Jewish World Service.
Hillel has also provided service within our borders. "Hunter Has Heart" is a program that invited students to take part in volunteer service learning and advocacy opportunities. This past winter, New Orleans served as the site of rebuilding projects led by Hunter students, who partnered with Habitat for Humanity in the effort to bring relief to the grief stricken city. Hillel's Midnight Run, too, afforded students the opportunity to help the homeless by providing them with food, clothes, and friendly conversation.
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