Raya Pinsky is a self-proclaimed community service freak.
"I love doing it -- whenever there's an opportunity," she said.
Pinsky (freshman-biology) was one of the 757 freshmen and new transfer students who gathered at HUB Alumni Hall on Saturday morning to take part in 2009's Fresh Students Taking an Active Role Today (Fresh START) day of service.
"We hope to get students involved in the Penn State community from the first day so they can be involved in service throughout their college career and lifetime," said Fresh START Executive Director Courtney Waters (senior-biobehavioral health).
The day began with a breakfast provided by sponsors. Volunteers were then given bright green T-shirts and assigned a different community service task.
After icebreakers, the volunteers listened to a speech from Jeremy Fegert, director of programs for The Second Mile, a non-profit organization benefiting children throughout the state. Volunteers were then sent via bus to one of 37 different service sites in the Centre Region -- including the Bellefonte Family YMCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Centre County and Centre County Women's Resource Center.
The day also included a service fair, a dance competition with the Nittany Lion mascot and self-reflection activities.
Pinsky, who visited State College retirement community Foxdale Village, said she enjoyed the experience and wants to be a team leader next year.
"A lot of these people have been here a long time, and I want to help them feel like they are still a part of the community," Pinsky said. "I always like making a difference and I think my positive attitude is contagious toward other people."
Chintan Shah (freshman-science) helped put children's books together in the HUB-Robeson Center.
"It made me remember my childhood," he said. "If someone made something handmade like that for me, it would have been really sweet."
Team leader Tiffany Louie (senior-marketing) led her group in taking apart wooden tents at the Krislund Camp, a Presbyterian-affiliated campsite and conference center in Madisonburg, Pa.
She said her group's work was grueling, but rewarding.
"People were sweating and it was raining. There were insects everywhere," she said. "The service was obviously miserable, but you have to stay positive doing your service."
Though she's now the day of service's main coordinator, Executive Director Waters did not have a good experience at the Fresh START event she attended as a freshman. She said she didn't know what to expect and traveled far away only to accomplish an hour and a half's worth of work. Now, she said, it's all about making the experience better for younger students.
"The best part is the connections students make with each other," she said. "It's kind of empowering to get involved and put in your input, to watch it grow."
