Waynesburg U. freshmen volunteer at Ryerson park
Notice: Undefined variable: article_ad_placement3 in /usr/web/cs-washington.ogdennews.com/wp-content/themes/News_Core_2023_WashCluster/single.php on line 128
WAYNESBURG – Waynesburg University’s incoming freshman class participated in a service project Saturday at Ryerson Station State Park.
With the goal of raising the level of recreational experiences for people visiting Ryerson, volunteers served at various locations in the park on projects such as removing invasive plant species, staining benches and guardrails at the campground and removing litter along roads in the park.
Consol Energy sponsored the event, providing the necessary tools as well as long-sleeved T-shirts for volunteers. Sherwin-Williams and the Salvation Army also provided tools and materials for the volunteers’ use.
The nearly 500 volunteers included upperclassmen, Bonner Scholars and orientation leaders, as well as university faculty and staff who served alongside the freshman class. The Bonner Scholars also honed their leadership skills by leading the freshmen groups.
Labeled with “coming together to make a change,” the T-shirts donated by Consol illustrated the combined efforts of Consol, Waynesburg University and Ryerson Station State Park. The T-shirts were designed by Michelle Dunseath, a Waynesburg University digital design student from Donora.
Representatives from both Consol and Waynesburg are hopeful this will be the first of many collaborative projects at Ryerson
“We are proud to partner with two very important community organizations in Waynesburg for what we hope will become an annual event,” said Jessica Kearns, external relations specialist at Consol. “As a natural resource company, we recognize the importance of environmental management, and we practice responsible use of the land, water and air in our operational areas. This project provided us the opportunity to work together with local students to encourage civic engagement and community development.”
Before heading to the park, Consol representatives and the president of the Waynesburg University Student Senate, Joshuah Dains of Clarksville, talked to the students on the importance of community engagement.
The day ended with Park Ranger Alan Johnson thanking the students for doing a year’s worth of work in one day.