Providence College Students Give Back Before They Even Get Here
Incoming PC freshmen start semester with three days of community service
Providence, R.I. – Members of Providence College’s Class of 2020 will kick off their freshman year by participating in the College’s 26th annual Urban Action (UA) community service program.
Urban Action is a program that supports community service projects in the Providence community. Nearly 150 incoming first-year students will spend three days volunteering under the guidance of their upper classmates. UA is designed to increase their understanding of urban issues while simultaneously introducing these new students to Providence.
The students will be working in the Providence community as follows:
- Monday, August 22: Students will be working with The 02908 Club, a local off-campus housing group, in the Elmhurst neighborhood
- Tuesday, August 23: Students will be working with Ward 5 Councilwoman Jo-Ann Ryan around the Pleasant Valley Parkway area
- Wednesday, August 24: Students will be working with the Smith Hill Community Development Corporation in the Smith Hill area
Urban Action volunteers have worked at wildlife preserves and community farms in the suburbs, as well as along riverbanks and in playgrounds and parks in and around Providence. A focal point for the last several years was Neutaconkanut Hill, an 88-acre recreational park in Providence.
Students also will participate in similar neighborhood projects throughout the academic year.
Urban Action was initiated by Providence College students in 1991, with 17 students volunteering the first year. Since then, more than 3,500 freshmen have participated, with many returning as leaders. The program provides incoming students with an opportunity to make a positive difference in the community that will be their “home away from home” for the next four years.
Founded in 1917, Providence College is the only college or university in the United States administered by the Dominican Friars. The Catholic, liberal arts college has an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 3,900 students and offers degrees in 49 academic majors. Since 1997, Providence College consistently has been ranked among the top five regional universities in the North according to U.S. News & World Reports’ “America’s Best Colleges.”
MEDIA: Media wanting to attend on any day can contact Andrew Kalil, 603.475.7917. He will be on site each day. Additional staff will also be present.
