By Tim Kelly
hile most students prepared for finals last fall, Stacey Kingsley wrapped gifts as part of the Presidential Honors Society�s (PHS) dedication to the Toys for Tots program.
�It was something I was interested in,� Kingsley, a PHS member, said. �I�ve donated to Toys for Tots before.�
Kingsley and other members helped Zany Brainy, a toy store in Crossgates Mall, collect money for Toys for Tots by wrapping gifts for customers and encouraging them to donate towards the charity. PHS helped to raise about $50 in one day out of more than $600 raised by Zany Brainy, Kingsley said. Kingsley and PHS members will participate in the program again this year.
PHS was created in 1991 to bring honors students together in an effort to improve the community. Members are required to maintain a GPA of 3.75 or higher, and to perform a minimum of 10 hours of community service per semester. �This organization is not just a line on a resume,� Jonathan Estreich, the president of PHS, said. �We are committed to service in the University and Albany communities.�
Usually when members find a project they really like, they will often go beyond the required 10 hours of service, Estreich said. �We encourage our members to find community service that interests them.�
PHS members have volunteered for other programs besides Toys for Tots, including the Ronald McDonald House, The New Day Art Institute, Don�t Walk Alone, Daughters of Sarah Nursing Home and the Equinox Thanksgiving dinner, in the past.
PHS is only one of the many University organizations that have improved the community through volunteer service in a trend that shows more and more students volunteering.
Project Renaissance, the athletic teams, and the fraternities and sororities are among the many groups that give of their time and energy. Project Renaissance members exchanged letters with students at School 2 in Troy as part of the program�s curriculum. Recently, the University students visited their pen pals at their school.
�I could see that they were very happy when we walked in,� Ken Metty, a Project Renaissance student, said. �They were all smiling and having a good time.� Metty has coached youth soccer teams, and said that he loves working with children. He plans to volunteer again in the future.
The Troy students asked their pen pals questions about things like their families and their favorite foods, then they switched places and the University students asked the questions.
Megan Downey, another student involved in Project Renaissance, felt they really helped the kids. �A lot of them don�t see a lot of positive things in their lives and this gives them something to look forward to,� she said.
Athletes and coaches from the soccer, lacrosse, basketball, softball and baseball teams introduced children to their respective sports when they hosted the Kids Sports Challenge as part of the Times Union�s Race for Literacy Oct. 14. Each sport hosted mini-clinics designed to teach kids both the athletic and scholastic aspects of sports.
The members of the 13 fraternities under the Inter Fraternity Council (IFC) are required to perform 15 hours of community service. On Oct. 29, the IFC hosted the Bachelor Charity Auction to raise money for the American Federation for Teen Suicide Prevention. They raffled off CDs, computer software, and a trip to Cancun in drawings held throughout the night. They also �auctioned off� two bachelors from each fraternity. Jay Freilich, the president of the IFC, said they raised about $1,100.
