Eastern Connecticut State University

Eastern Connecticut State University student Valerie Vance '17 has been named a recipient of the University's 2017 Ella T. Grasso Distinguished Service Award. The award, presented to Vance on March 29, recognizes individuals who work to promote women's rights and gender equality. Awards are given in memory of Ella Grasso, former Connecticut governor and the first woman in America to be elected as governor in her own right.

Sierra Colon of Wethersfield was recently named as the recipient of Eastern's 2017 Cesar Chavez Distinguished Service Award. The award recognizes individuals who best exemplify the teachings of Chavez, the late labor leader and human rights activist who advocated for fairness, equity and justice for farm workers. The award also recognizes individuals who have performed extraordinary service in support of the Latin American community by developing, contributing to programs/activities focusing on positive development of minority youth and/or minority educational opportunities and advancement.

Several hundred Willimantic residents converged on Eastern Connecticut State University on Nov. 23 for 10th annual Day of Giving. The event provided a hot holiday meal to people who otherwise may not have been able to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner. Eastern students played a big role in the Day of Giving, serving food, escorting guests and cleaning up after the event.

Eastern Connecticut State University concluded its fifth summer youth program for "Puentes al Futuro" (Bridges to the Future) on July 28. Sixty middle school students from Windham were led by 12 Eastern student leaders over the course of the four-week program. The program is coordinated by Eastern's Center for Community Engagement.

Eastern students are encouraged to complete hours of service learning for certain classes.

The cross-country team at Eastern Connecticut State University volunteered at the Hartford Marathon on Oct. 10, assisting athletes with disabilities through the races. Nine members of the team served as guide runners for blind athletes or those in wheelchairs; 12 members served as course marshals in the 5K, the race in which the majority of athletes with disabilities participated.

Despite freezing temperatures, students at Eastern Connecticut State University spent the night of Nov. 18th sleeping in cardboard boxes for the annual "Shackathon" to raise awareness about homelessness. The 30-hour overnight event was organized by Eastern's chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

Hundreds of members of the Willimantic community visited Eastern Connecticut State University on Nov. 26 for the eighth annual Day of Giving. Despite the day's inclement weather, Eastern's Hurley Hall bustled as usual, serving up hot Thanksgiving meals to community members who otherwise may not have had one. Several Eastern students volunteered to make the large event possible, assisting the staff of Chartwells, Eastern's food services contractor.

More than 300 Eastern Connecticut State University students took part in the Center for Community Engagement's Poverty Awareness Marathon on Sept. 19, 2014.

A number of Eastern Connecticut State University students recently assisted in organizing a gambling awareness campaign.

Eastern Connecticut State University students plunged into the waters of Coventry Lake at Patriot's Park on Dec. 1 for the annual Coventry Penguin Plunge to raise money for the Special Olympics. Students collected donations from family, friends and local businesses.

Local Eastern Connecticut State University students participated in an alternative Presidents Day weekend trip to Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center in Greenfield, NH. During the five-day alternative break, Eastern students, led by Brit Cava, the AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer and Event Coordinator in Eastern's Center for Community Engagement, worked alongside Crotched Mountain staff and visited residents with brain injuries.

On Nov. 21, Eastern Connecticut State University held its sixth annual "Day of Giving Community Celebration," a Thanksgiving dinner for community members who are patrons of local soup kitchens and other social service agencies. The Day of Giving was started in 2007 by Eastern student Jason Budahazy '09. Eastern's Center of Community Engagement is now responsible for coordinating the event.

The Center for Community Engagement supports the mission and vision of Eastern Connecticut State University by providing resources to build a culture of civic responsibility and engaged learning.

In response to the tragic earthquake in Turkey on Oct. 23, Eastern Connecticut State University's Turkish American Student Association hosted a dinner to raise money for relief funds.

Twenty-five student volunteers helped Eastern Connecticut State University host its fifth annual "Day of Giving" Thanksgiving dinner for the Willimantic community on Nov. 23. Diners included patrons of local soup kitchens and other social service agencies. Upwards of 500 local residents enjoyed the Thanksgiving meal, which took place in Hurley Hall. In addition, almost $2,500 was raised towards food contributions to local food pantries, and more than 5,000 canned goods were collected.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Center of Community Engagement worked alongside the University's People Helping People student club to organize a book drive on campus.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Habitat for Humanity campus chapter held its annual "Shack-a-Thon" fundraiser over a 24-hour period from Oct. 26-27 in front of Webb Hall. The fundraiser was held to increase awareness of substandard housing in the Willimantic community.

The Center for Community Engagement at Eastern Connecticut State University held a Community Service Expo on April 14 to showcase the service programs and projects that students have been working on during the past academic year. Awards were given out in a variety of categories.Local celebrities from the Willimantic area served as judges for the expo. The judges presented the People Helping People (PHP) student group with the Going Green award for its recycling initiative.

Student volunteers from Eastern Connecticut State University gave Coventry a "spring cleaning" on April 9 and received a warm reception from grateful townspeople. Approximately 200 volunteers registered for "Community Day 2011," putting in a 4- to 5-hour workday to clear hiking trails, paint the band shell at Patriots Park, landscape that and several other parks and spruce up other town facilities, including the Nathan Hale Homestead and two properties of the Coventry Historical Society. In all, Eastern students worked on 16 different projects during the day.

On Dec. 8 students from Eastern Connecticut State University and local community members raised more than $500 during "This Too Shall Pass," Eastern's second Help for Haiti Benefit Concert. Eastern's Center for Community Engagement and the Office of Housing and Residential Life sponsored the event.

Five Eastern Connecticut State University business and accounting students were honored by the Willimantic-based Access Community Action Agency at its annual meeting on Oct. 26. President/CEO Peter DeBiasi and Mary DeMarco, chairperson of the Access Board of Directors, presented the awards. Students from the local area include: