Community Service at Central Penn

A Unique Academic Experience

Central Pennsylvania College remains committed to a philosophy of community mindedness that prepares graduates to be contributing members of society. Combining aspects of service with career-oriented education helps to create model citizens.

All students are required to fulfill a service requirement prior to graduation. Students seeking a bachelor degree are required to complete 50 hours and students seeking an associate degree are required to complete 25 hours. The hours can be earned throughout your education, but must be kept track of in a log. Service hours can take place on campus or in a community organization but must be of a volunteer and service-oriented nature. Club membership and meetings do not count; but club projects like the homeless sleep out or soup kitchen participation do count. Students are required to hand in a completed service log to the internship adviser with their completed internship packets. Internship grades will not be issued without successful completion of this service requirement. Continuing Education, transfer students and students that change majors or degree levels must also fulfill this requirement prior to graduation. Students who have already completed an internship will need to work with their academic advisor to ensure this goal is met prior to graduation.

Below are just a few of the organizations to which Central Penn students have already volunteered their time and energies, or will do so in the future:

• Volunteer Firefighters. West Enola Fire Co has a FREE LIVE-IN program for college students that are currently Volunteer Firefighters. The fire company has constructed new living quarters complete with full kitchen, bunk rooms, locker rooms, laundry, entertainment room & wireless and hard wired internet access. For more information, contact Chief Dressler at 717-732-1919 or visit www.westenolafire.com. Also, the Fire company seeks volunteers to help with various projects and fundraising programs.

• Board of Trustees with the Dauphin County Historical Society , located in Harrisburg in the Cameron Mansion on Front Street, we are currently building a team of volunteers who will work with our curator , director and others, to catalog thousands of photographs and objects which are relevant to the history of Harrisburg and to Pennsylvania. There is a need for volunteers for data entry of the information needed to complete this massive project. Volunteers will be able to work from home, after a short training session at the mansion.
  
  We would ask that the volunteers "pledge" a number of hours that they feel they will be able to contribute to data entry. We will keep a log of pledged volunteer hours in a "bank" as a resource. As information is ready for data entry, we will contact those volunteers in the bank and provide them the information for transcription. Please contact Anne Kearney at voice (717) 576-2735 or Email valueit@ptd.net .

• Northern Dauphin Revitalization Project, Inc. (NDRP) is a volunteer organization committed to eliminating abandoned and blighted properties in the downtowns of Halifax, Millersburg, Elizabethville, Gratz, Lykens, Williamstown, and Tower City and encouraging business development focused on tourism, education, and technology. The Project is non-profit and is affiliated with the PA Downtown Center, Dauphin County Department of Community and Economic Development, and PA State Department of Community and Economic Development, all of which office in Harrisburg.
  
  Using the Main Street approach to downtown economic redevelopment, NDRP seeks college and graduate students to serve in research projects within the seven "anchor" communities. Projects involve customizing existing survey instruments (a 12- to 15-item questionnaire) for one of the towns, encouraging residents and patrons to complete the survey (about 125 surveys needed), analyze the results into a readable and logical flow of information, write up a user-friendly article to be published in the Upper Dauphin Sentinel newspaper (www.SentinelNow.com), and be interviewed on WQLV-FM radio, the new Love 98.9-FM (soft rock) during one of the morning shows, explaining the survey and the results for the town chosen. Contact Dr. Ben Scott, Regional Coordinator, 717-362-1438 (Voice), 717-362-1392 (Fax) or Email NDRPBen@epix.net.

• River of God Church is an active, contemporary church with many opportunities weekly and throughout the year to meet many people and experience lots of different activities and events. Some of these events include Community Night w/Fireworks, Huge Community Picnic Celebration, Pumpkin Fest, Lite the Night, Harvest Carnival, Christmas Dinner Theater, Easter Production, Weekly Coffee Bar to mention just a few. Volunteers will serve in many capacities such as food service, coffee bar attendant, greeter, set-up/clean-up, various skill oriented areas (painting, carpentry, drawing, costuming, make-up etc. There are many more areas to serve with a guarantee that you will enjoy every minute and will be overwhelmingly welcomed and appreciated. Located at 747 Wertzville Road, Enola, PA 17025.

• Volunteer Match. Where volunteering begins! This is a website that allows you to see what volunteer opportunities are available within 20 or so miles of Central Penn across a variety of interest areas.

• Jewish Family Service of Harrisburg . We are always looking for college students who would be willing to help us out with our respite program. Respite is a time in which parents are able to relax, take some time out for themselves, and rejuvenate from the challenges they face 24/7 with raising special needs children. We take children on fun trips to places like the zoo, swimming, bowling, ice-skating, and much more. You would help us in watching these children and help them socialize with other adopted children who have been through similar situations as themselves. Our agency always provides a 2 hour course for those who would like to do respite. It will teach you about struggles that adopted children might face and how to best deal with the children. We also train on areas such as child development, grief and loss, attachment, discipline, and more. On average, there are about 8- 10 hours a month in which the college students can help out. Please contact me via Email or by phone, 717-233-1681. Thanks, Jennifer Prol, Adoption/Respite Coordinator, Jewish Family Service of Harrisburg.

• United Way of the Capital Region(Enola). We are in need of volunteers to assist us with some simple research. We have a lengthy list of names with addresses, but no telephone numbers. The project simply involves going on the Internet and "Googling" each name to get a correct phone number. We have work stations available Monday through Friday during regular business hours (8:30 AM - 5:00 PM), and a staff person available to answer any questions that may arise. Because our offices are located so close to the College, we thought there might be students who still need volunteer hours who would be interested in helping us meet this important deadline. If you would be interested in helping, please call 732-0700, ext. 39. You also may contact Jennifer Daniels at 732-0700, ext. 31.

• Capital City Computer Project is a non-profit organization, started in 1996 to teach children and adults computers in the Harrisburg and surrounding areas. We have a total of 85 Community Computer Centers in the Harrisburg, Steelton, Middletown, York, Dover, and Carlisle areas. We are looking for Central Penn students to come to one of our sites listed at http://www.capitalcitycomputer.org to teach Basic, Intermediate, Advance computer training, and Internet safety and awareness classes to the children, adults and senior citizens. The classes are taught from 4 to 15 weeks, in one of the listed sites.
  
  POC is Charlene Morris who can be reached at 717 576-3947 or at Email at morris@capitalcitycomputer.org or Faxed at 717 234-3719.

• Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts . We want your enthusiasm! Whitaker Center, housing an IMAX theater, a performing arts theater and a 3-story hands-on science center, welcomes youth (ages 17+) and adults to join our team, offering the best in customer service and interaction! Internships are also available. Contact Kimberly Sell, Volunteer and Intern Coordinator at phone (717) 221-8201, extension 2705 or Email KSell@whitakercenter.org.
  

• Home Depot Kids Workshop, 5101 Jonestown Road, Lower Paxton, PA 17112, POC Ben Folk - Email: bfolk82@comcast.net , work phone (717) 651-9699 (ask for Ben Folk) and home phone (610) 413-9036. Volunteer Hours: 8 AM - 2 PM first Saturday of every month beginning April 2. The Home Depot Kids Workshop is offered to children ages 4-12. The program teaches children basic motor skills involving screwdrivers and hammers through monthly projects. The volunteers would be involved with the setup of the Kids Workshop and aiding the children in the construction of the projects. The volunteers are expected to act in accordance with guidelines and values set forth by The Home Depot while aiding with the Kids Workshop.

• WITF, Inc., WITF Public Media Center, 4801 Lindle Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112. Contact Volunteer Services, volunteer@witf.org or 717.910.2942. Business Hours: 8 AM - 5 PM, Monday through Friday, occasional weekend opportunities available. WITF, Inc., is Central Pennsylvania's public broadcasting station, and includes a TV station, FM radio station, and magazine geared towards Central Pennsylvanians. Volunteer activities include: Answering telephone calls during our TV and FM membership campaigns; representing WITF during special events, fundraisers, and concerts; assisting our FM and TV production departments; helping to prepare bulk mailings; facilitating parenting-education workshops for WITF's Ready to Learn Program, and much, much more! Updated information!

• Harrisburg Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees), provides community service through the organized effort of young people ages 21-39 of our community; promotes the welfare of our community through active and constructive projects; and provides our members with leadership training and experiences in order to enhance their capacity as emerging leaders. Contact us at www.harrisburgjaycees.com. Opportunities include:
  • Citizen Bee: Procter an event to test the skills of competing high school students.
  • Lake Tobias Outdoor Tour: Take up to seventy Boys and Girls Club kids on an outdoor adventure. Help watch over kids, hand out food, and set up and tear down the picnic area.
  • Habitat for Humanity: Help build a home for a deserving family. Brush up on your home improvement skills at the same time.
  • Greenworks: Help clean up and beautify our designated section of Interstate 83, and many, many more!

Charitable and service organizations - Would you like to see your information posted here? Then please Email us with all of your particulars including organization name, address, contact information (phone number and Email) as well as your business hours and a short paragraph on your activities. We'll review your information and post it to our Website in no time!