CNU Students, Newport News Residents
and Local Companies
Collaborate on Day of Service 2009
News Release - August 10, 2009
Media Contacts:
Lori Jacobs,
Director of Public Relations
lori.jacobs@cnu.edu
(757) 594-7961
(NEWPORT NEWS, VA) - More than 300 Christopher Newport University students will join forces with Newport News residents in order to accomplish a myriad of community-focused projects in an all-day, no holds barred effort. That’s the plan for Thursday, August 20th when CNU freshmen, faculty and staff partner with southeast Newport News residents to clean, paint, plant gardens and conduct surveys for the good of the city.
The CNU Day of Service was initiated by the university’s new Center for Service Learning and Social Entrepreneurship which opened its doors in January 2009. Initiated by CNU president Paul Trible, the Day of Service is the beginning of a long-term, creative and productive relationship with the greater Newport News community and its members.
The Day of Service is co-sponsored by Weed & Seed, Healthy Generations and many local, nonprofit organizations. Generous support has also been provided by Ferguson Enterprises, First Advantage Federal Credit Union, Chick-fil-A, Dominion Terminal Associates, Production Support Services, Enterprise Rental Car, the Virginia Educators Credit union, Wal-Mart Newport News and Langley Federal Credit Union.
Activities on August 20 will culminate in a celebratory lunch at noon in King-Lincoln Park for CNU students and community residents who volunteered during the Day of Service. Speakers at the lunch include CNU President Paul Trible, Mayor Joe Frank and Newport News Councilwoman Tina Vick.
“We see this Day of Service not as an isolated event, but the beginning of an ongoing relationship with the Newport News community,” center director Dr. Roberta Rosenberg noted. “Our students will be working at the Boys and Girls Clubs, the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center, the Doris Miller Community Center and many other educational, cultural and social institutions throughout southeast Newport News. We hope many of these incoming students will return to volunteer throughout their time at CNU.”
While most students and residents will work in the southeast section of the city, others will take part in environmental cleanups around the university at Lake Maury in Newport News Park and projects at cultural institutions like the Peninsula Fine Arts Center and the Virginia Living Museum.
For a list of all the volunteer activities in the Day of Service, please see the Center’s website: http://service.cnu.edu or contact Brad Brewer, the Center’s Assistant Director, at 594-7233 or brad.brewer@cnu.edu.
A four-year public university in Newport News, Virginia, Christopher Newport University enrolls 5,000 students in rigorous academic programs through the College of Arts and Humanities, the College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences, and the College of Social Sciences including the Luter School of Business. CNU offers great teaching and small classes as well as an emphasis on leadership, civic engagement and honor. For more information about CNU and its programs,
please visit www.cnu.edu.