STAFF REPORTS
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Hundreds of Buffalo State faculty, staff, and students will spend the morning of Saturday, September 15, serving the community at Bengals Dare to Care Day.
Buffalo State’s annual service day brings together members of the campus community to assist with service projects like neighborhood beautification, garden planting and maintenance, and painting. The event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and lunch is provided afterward. Transportation will be provided to the various work sites. Pre-registration is required.
The event has grown since President Katherine Conway-Turner began her tenure at Buffalo State four years ago, said Laura Hill Rao, director of Civic and Community Engagement.
“With her involvement, it has grown tremendously,” she said. “Historically, it’s been around 200 to 350 people involved. With Dr. Conway-Turner’s leadership, it’s grown so that last year, we had 800 students, faculty, and staff out in the community on that day working on 38 different projects.”
This year, 40 sites are being considered for volunteer opportunities, Rao said. Around 70 site coordinators, made up of students, faculty, and staff, will help with the logistics of getting volunteers to their locations, which will be determined on the day of the event. After the work is done, site coordinators will lead discussions with the volunteers on why community service is important.
“That is critical for helping students and participants understand that this isn’t just a standalone experience,” Rao said. “Hopefully, it’s a stepping stone for future involvement.”
Conway-Turner said the event is a way for the Buffalo State community to show its commitment to the local community.
“Our Dare to Care Day is an opportunity for the entire Buffalo State College community to manifest our commitment to the city of Buffalo,” she said. “Annually, as a college community, we provide over 500,000 hours of community service to organizations that address the needs of individuals and families, but on Dare to Care Day we stop, gather our forces, and commit to assisting our Buffalo community as one. We believe that if we act as a college community, our service will have a greater impact in addressing community-wide needs. We will be covering the Buffalo community by wearing orange on September 15.”
