Westfield State University Students work on community service projects throughout the town of Westfield as part of HOOT Day 2016 (Photo courtesy WSU)
WESTFIELD– Westfield State University will kick-start its fall semester with the eighth annual Helping Out Our Town (HOOT) Day of volunteering on Tuesday, September 5. More than 150 students are committed to provide community service at various businesses and organizations in the City of Westfield from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
“Civic engagement is part of our culture and a key part of our student success initiative, The Westfield State Experience,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Carlton Pickron. “In addition to underscoring the importance of community service and engagement, participation in HOOT Day provides another opportunity for our students to enrich their learning experience and strengthen their connection with the City of Westfield.”
HOOT Day will begin with a brief ceremony on the city’s Green at 8:15 a.m. Massachusetts Representative John Velis, Massachusetts Senator Donald Humason, and Westfield State President Ramon S. Torrecilha will provide remarks.
HOOT Day began in fall 2010 as a Circle K community service program. The program was designed to bring together Westfield State students and the City of Westfield. The opportunity to participate was offered to first-year students during their orientation in the summer. Multiple offices were instrumental in getting this program underway including: Westfield State’s offices of Residential Life, Student Affairs, President’s Office, Institutional Advancement, Alumni Relations, and the City of Westfield School Department.
Students will be painting, gardening, cleaning, and performing other volunteer activities both indoors and outdoors throughout the city. Hosting businesses include Amelia Park Arena and Garden, Amelia Park Children’s Museum, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Westfield, Columbia Greenway Rail Trail, Courthouse Square Apartments, DOMUS, Inc., George’s Jewelers, Stanley Park, the Westfield Athenaeum, Westfield Parks and Recreation, Westfield Public Schools, Westfield Public Works, and the YMCA of Greater Westfield.
“Participating in HOOT Day provides an opportunity for first-year students to make new friends, which makes their transition to college life a bit easier,” said Circle K Club President Madison Babula ’18 of Wilbraham, Mass. “However, the biggest benefit that comes from participating in HOOT Day is making a positive difference in a community that is meaningful to each and every one of us.”
For the second consecutive year, Westfield State University’s Community Radio 89.5 WSKB FM will be broadcasting live from the city’s Green. DJ’s Bob Plasse and Pete Cowles will be broadcasting their regular show “WOW It’s Tuesday” beginning at 6 a.m. Launched in June 2014, Community Radio is now broadcast from 6 to 8 a.m., Monday through Saturday, with additional programming throughout the week.
HOOT Day is sponsored by Westfield Bank and Westfield Dunkin Donuts, courtesy of the Sardinha family.
For more information on HOOT Day, contact Brent Bean, WSU Director of Government and Corporate Relations, at (413) 572-5636 or [email protected].
