SUNY Oneonta Students Head ‘Into the Streets’ to Volunteer Saturday

Approximately 700 SUNY Oneonta students will get up early Saturday morning, roll up their sleeves and get to work.

Into the Streets is the annual day of service sponsored by SUNY Oneonta’s Center for Social Responsibility and Community. These SUNY Oneonta students team up with community volunteers at 43 sites throughout Otsego County.

Two of the student coordinators for this event, juniors Lourdes Paulino and Stephanie Aquino explain why this event is so important.

"I like helping other students, and I feel it's a good thing to give back to the community," Paulino said. "It's something that I want to do, not that I have to do."

"Giving back is one of the main things that students should do, especially because the people in the town give a lot to the college students," Aquino said.

The student-led day of service will begin at 9 a.m. with a breakfast at SUNY Oneonta’s Chase Gymnasium and a send-off by college President Nancy Kleniewski.

Fifty SUNY Oneonta teams will travel to assigned sites in Oneonta, Laurens, Milford, Cooperstown and Edmeston, where they will spend up to six hours in volunteer activities such as painting, cleaning and window-washing at nonprofit agencies, schools and churches; clean-up at area parks and trails; and landscaping at a variety of organizations.