Collegiate Times

"Here is a man that dedicated himself to creating a better world for everybody, trying to create a world full of equality and to recognize everybody's common humanity," said Dubinksy, who came back from his vacation from Myrtle Beach a day early just to be there. "That's one of the whole purposes of a land-grant university and our motto at the university is 'that I may serve.' Here we are doing good work for people who do good work. The child care centers and head start centers across the New River Valley operate on a shoestring, they need as much support as they can get, and this is one way we can help give back to people who have given all their time."

Corrine Barton, site director of the Valley Interfaith Child Care Center, was definitely grateful for their help.

"It's been crazy, busy, but it's been fantastic," Barton said. "They're doing projects that we've wanted done, but we haven't had the resources or the time to do them so it's been very helpful."

This childcare center provides their services to low-income working families who otherwise couldn't afford to pay for their children to attend a daycare.

"It's why I do what I do, because I want to help families be able to support themselves and provide for their children and that's what they need," Barton said. "I want to be here to provide a safe and loving environment where these children can learn while their parents are at work, and that their parents can go to work and not worry about their children. I just really appreciate the program that these students are participating in."

"For me, I really believe in our motto at school, 'that I may serve,' and I felt that I hadn't been doing that enough," Okyere said. "Basically, I had been focusing on my economics -- a lot -- and I thought, my mom works in a daycare, they always need help with these things, so I pretty much figured that this is something that I should be doing."

"In a nutshell, one of the things I hope students will come to understand is that college and Virginia Tech in particular, is not a way station," Dubinsky said. "You're not here for four years on your way to somewhere else, you are somewhere, and you are a member of a larger community, and while you're in a community the best thing you can to is be an active member of that community and give back, learn who the people are, find out what the world around you is involved in and cares and find a way to participate."

Continue Reading:  « Previous12