Iona held its second annual Day of Service on Sept. 24 to kick off Make a Difference Week.

The event was started last year to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the college, head of Mission and Ministry, Carl Procario-Foley said.

Since Make a Difference Week is also held in October, the office of Mission and Ministry decided to combine the service day with the events coordinated for the week, “to provide a continuity of offerings to engage as many members of the community as possible,” Procario-Foley said.

The Day of Service began early in the morning in the LaPenta lot where breakfast was offered to the volunteers as they signed in and formed their groups.

 “Service is a critical part of the culture of this college and our mission,” President Dr. Joseph E. Nyre said.

He reminded the volunteers that working in groups will make a stronger impact and that helping the community and environment is “part of fighting the good fight.”

There were seven different service groups sent out, each going to a different location in local areas. The projects included clean up at Sheldrake Lake in Larchmont, clean up for the New Rochelle Parks and Recreation department, Habitat for Humanity Home Repair in Westchester, the St. Bernard Project Home Repair on Long Island, clean up at the Larchmont Shoreline, Adopt-A-Street and planting trees throughout the Iona campus.

Campus Minister junior Sarah McIlwaine sent off the volunteers to their service projects with a prayer.

Corporation coordinators were especially pleased with the volunteers’ help.

“It stuck out to me how grateful the [employee of the Sheldrake Lake park] was just for our attendance,” junior Eric Torruella said about his experience at the Larchmont location. “It very was rewarding, I’m glad I took the time to do it.”

Grace Watters, a junior who led the Sheldrake Lake project alongside senior, Frank Nikolaidis, was happy to see the effect service had on her group, and to “see them inspired to make a change for the future.”

“Showing up is half the battle,” Nikolaidis said. He said he is positive his peers will continue to participate in Make a Difference Week after realizing just how “close to home” the battle is.

The Sheldrake group collected over 90 pounds of trash in the park, while other members of the group cleared out a section of foreign weeds that are suffocating the native plants.

“It’s an easy fix to just throw your trash away. People don’t realize that and what it does for the environment,” Nikolaidis said.    

Students who stayed local to campus heard back from the community as they cleaned the parks surrounding New Rochelle.

“Neighbors simply thanking you for your efforts reminds you how even a little bit of giving back can be rewarding,” junior Cyndi Mattick said.

Day of Service has been successful at Iona over the past two years because students are able to sign up with a club, organization or just with friends according to Mattick.

“You’re benefiting the community but in a fun and carefree environment,” Mattick said.

The Day of Service began Make a Difference Week, which included a special event every day, beginning Sunday with a kickball game between Iona’s Best Buddies and the children involved with the Success Center. Tutoring at the Success Center is another day’s event, where students can help children in the surrounding area with schoolwork. Cards of Hope continued the week, along with a screening of “The Hunting Ground,” followed by a discussion on sexual assault. Later in the week students will help to advocate for sanitary supplies with the PASS program, feed the homeless on a Midnight Run and participate in the Elderly Outreach Program at the Warburg Center and St. Joseph’s Care Center.

Students who are interested in participating in a service project but “have not had the opportunity can get their feet wet” are able to during Day of Service and Make a Difference Week, Procario-Foley explained.

Procario-Foley encourages Gaels to “immerse themselves more in this important work.”