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��ɫֱ��’s College students, faculty, and staff rolled up their sleeves and gave back to the Wilkes-Barre community during the annual Holy Cross Day of Service on April 25, 2025. This tradition encourages volunteer service while aiming to improve local spaces, support community organizations, and promote sustainability. This year’s theme is "Love Your Neighbor and Our Neighborhood."

The Shoval Center organized service projects from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a wide variety of options available. The day began with Bill Bolan, the Shoval Center director, welcoming volunteers and sharing the importance of service in the Holy Cross mission at ��ɫֱ��’s College. Volunteers then split off to embark on their impactful days.

Group projects led volunteers to plant trees along the Susquehanna River at Nesbitt Park and to clean up the Frances Slocum Playground. These outdoor efforts helped to create clean and welcoming public spaces in the neighborhood. The trees planted at Nesbitt Park were donated by the Kelci Ever After Do Good Fund at the Luzerne Foundation, the Riverfront Parks Committee, and ��ɫֱ��’s College alum John Maday, executive director of the Riverfront Parks Committee.

Lala Traore, Class of ’23 and current master’s student at ��ɫֱ��’s College, reflected on the event’s importance:

"Holy Cross Day of Service reminds us that being a part of a community means showing up—not just in words, but in ACTION. Specifically, when we plant a tree, we’re investing in something that will grow with our lovely Wilkes-Barre community, long after we’ve graduated. It reflects the heart of service at ��ɫֱ��’s—planting seeds of justice, love, and hope that RIPPLES far beyond campus through TRANSFORMATIVE Monarchs like myself."

For a more convenient option, drop-in projects were organized to allow volunteers to stop by when appropriate for them. Volunteers created colorful tie-dye shirts to support ’s environmental education efforts, made crocheted "plarn" (plastic yarn from recycled bags) sleeping mats for unhoused individuals, and helped move supplies for the Go-Baby-Go program, which builds modified toy cars for children with mobility challenges.

The beautiful day ended with free frozen treats from Josie’s Italian Ice, generously donated for the occasion and served by the ��ɫֱ��’s College Wellness Committee. It was a fitting reward for a day filled with service that not only keeps the community beautiful but also promotes generosity, care, and shared purpose.

Dedicated to continuing the social mission of ��ɫֱ��'s College, the Shoval Center for Community Engagement and Learning facilitates teaching, research, and volunteer opportunities that advance both the needs of the community and the educational mission of the college.