April 25, 2022
Medical masks. Plastic straws. Socks. These were the most common items found as Susquehanna University volunteers collected trash along Penns Creek and Weiser Run in Selinsgrove.
“I am inspired by how much the SU community cares, and by the eagerness of students to identify new ways they can contribute to positive change,” said Jordain Moore, director of the university’s Johnson Center for Civic Engagement, which organizes the event. “I look forward to developing more opportunities for students to make an impact and contribute to the greater good.”
This year, approximately 50 students, faculty and staff gave of their time at East Snyder Community Garden and Park, Haven Ministry, Penns Creek, the Regional Engagement Center, Stone Ridge Farm Foundation and Weiser Run. The two-day event resulted in:
- 87 pounds of litter collected.
- 150 total hours of service.
- 500 live stake trees planted in support of the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership.
Kara Boub ’23, a double major in creative writing and publishing and editing, volunteered for the waterway cleanup because she “loves getting litter out of the streets and streams.
“We live and go to school here,” said Boub, who is from Wyoming, Pennsylvania. “It’s important that we do what we can to keep it beautiful.”
Kara DiCamillo ’99 had plans for a mini reunion with friends in the area and called Susquehanna’s Office of Alumni Relations to ask if there were any service opportunities available for her. In her hometown of Newport, Rhode Island, DiCamillo, who won the university’s alumni service award in 2019, is an advocate for healthy oceans, land conservation and environmental awareness.
“This is something people can see,” DiCamillo said of the waterway cleanup. “I think all of this is education. People can see what we’re doing and hopefully they will think twice before they drop something on the ground.”