Penn State DuBois students joined students from five other Penn State campuses in Western Pennsylvania on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to volunteer with community service efforts.  Each year, the community of one of the campuses is chosen for the MLK Day of service, and students volunteer in that community.  This year, the students volunteered with community organizations in New Kensington, home of Penn State New Kensington.  Campuses who had students involved in the MLK Day of Service were, DuBois, New Kensington, Greater Allegheny, Shenango, Fayette, and Beaver.  

This year, students volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and at day care centers in the New Kensington area.  They helped to construct shelving and performed stocking and cleaning duties at the Habitat for Humanity store, and cleaned toys and play areas at day cares, making the space safer for the children there.

Penn State DuBois student Hillary Yarger said, "It was great to see Penn State students from several campuses come together to make a difference. It truly shows what Penn State University stands for."

Campus Student Life Assistant Tasha Gilkes and International Student Services Coordinator Tharren Thompson joined the students during the service day. 

"This was a really great day.  It was a great opportunity for the students to do something that matters," Thompson said. "They could have stayed at home in bed; they could have taken an extra day for their own studies, but they didn't.  They decided to go out and do some good in the world, and that is a great way to celebrate Dr. King's legacy." 

Pictured are:

In front, left to right: Student Life Assistant Tasha Gilkes, Rebecca Horner, Joey Schaeffer, and Louise Whyte.

In back, left to right: Chris Albert, Patrick Watkavitch, Hillary Yarger, Morgan Lingle, Holly Kiesling, Alice Gyamfi, and International Student Services Coordinator Tharren Thompson. 

Members of the Delta Mu Sigma Honor Society have announced that the haunted house held at Penn State DuBois this Halloween raised $2,000, which will benefit THON, and the Paint and Play Preschool of DuBois. THON, the Penn State Dance Marathon, benefits childhood cancer research.

"I am so grateful to be donating half to each of these great organizations," said Adam Snyder, chairman of Delta Mu Sigma.  "Both organizations benefit children who are either battling cancer, or attending preschool for an early education." 

The haunted house was held for three nights, October 28, 29, and 30, in the Smeal Building at Penn State DuBois. The honor society organizes the event each year as a fundraiser for THON, and other area organizations. Delta Mu Sigma also reaches out to DuBois and the surrounding area each year by offering community service such as a "Dine Out" event at Luigi's Restaurant, with part of the proceeds benefiting scholarship funds, and by volunteering with organizations like Habitat for Humanity. 

Tuba City, Arizona – Over spring break, a group of seven Penn State DuBois students provided valuable services to members of the Navajo Nation, while also having the cultural experience of a lifetime. Students Kim Hummel, Jess Hummel, Theresa Skillman, Lauren Neff, Hillary Yarger, Janet Cahilly, and Cesar Salazar joined Student Life Coordinator Marly Doty and Student Life staff member Tony Harris on the trip.

The students used their spring break to take a service trip to Tuba City Arizona, where they volunteered on the Navajo reservation through the service organization, Amizade. 

The Penn State students served Navajo children in their local school by tutoring them in their basic subjects.  It's something the administrators at the school say is essential, because lifestyles on the reservation offer little time for study outside of school.

"While Tuba City has electricity and running water, 15 miles out of the city many places do not have either of these modern utilities that we take for granted," Doty said.  "It is easy to understand why these students struggle in school because for many of them school is the last thing on their mind."

Another service the Penn State DuBois students offered to the Navajo students was a new cultural experience.  They introduced the children to many things that they have never seen before; things that people in mainstream culture view as the norm.

"Many of these children have never met anyone different from themselves and many will never be afforded the opportunity to leave the reservation," Doty explained.  "The Navajo reservation is the largest in the United States and occupies parts of four southwestern states. A great deal of these children have never even seen grass or trees."

In return, the Penn State DuBois students learned about Navajo culture as well.  They learned about the rich Navajo heritage through food, dance, music, making pottery and jewelry, and by experiencing a traditional sweat lodge.  Students said the trip was eye opening, even life changing.

"The Navajo people not only opened my eyes up to their world, but also to the whole world around me," said Hillary Yarger.

Students who went on the trip said they'll be able to pass along to others what they learned about a dying culture, hopefully extending the life of the Navajo legacy.  They'll start by sharing their experiences with fellow students on campus. In April, they'll host an informational lunch for the campus community where they'll speak about their trip to the Navajo reservation.

In all, 31 Penn State DuBois students are volunteering on these service trips.  Taking the New Orleans trip are Jacey Royer, Theresa Skillman, Crystal Vicklund, Max Moclock, Kim Hummel, Alina Bumbarger, Chris Kolp, Tony Harris, Mike Reed, Meredith Gilmore, Matt Sliwinski, Melinda Marconi, Cory Ball, Wes McMasters, and Haylee Passmore.

On the Florida service trip are Lauren Abersold, Kayla Barr, Monica Bilotte, Jessica Booher, Anita Cummings, Melissa DeLullo, Carrie Flanagan, Kyle Gordon, Heidi Hepler, Courtney Holtmeyer, Wayne Mauthe, Ashley McCullough, Meghan Pease, Lynne Swales, Ethen Tarner, and Alyssa Weidow.

For updates on these students and their experiences, log onto www.ds.psu.edu

DuBois – Two groups of students from Penn State DuBois recently went south for spring break.  However, these students did not hit the beach or spend the week partying.

A total of nine Penn State DuBois students spent their spring break working to aid in the relief efforts in Mississippi, where communities are still recovering from the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Student Life Coordinator Marly Greeley led students Adam Hicks, Chris Kolp, Jennie Korb, Alina Bumbarger, Crystal Vicklund and Melissa Livergood to Gulfport, Mississippi, near Biloxi.  In helping to remodel a home damaged by the hurricane, these students painted, laid flooring and installed base board and fixtures. 

"I am very excited that Penn State gave me the opportunity to travel down to Mississippi, and to help a hurricane Katrina survivor fix up her home," said Vicklund.  "I was amazed to see just how much damage was done. It has been almost five years and there is still so much work to be done down there."

International Student Services Coordinator Tharren Thompson organized another group of three students to volunteer in the Mississippi Gulf Coast region through the campus Christian Student Fellowship.  With Thompson were students Kayla Barr, Kyle Gordon and Philip Myers, who spent the week replacing the roof on a house that had been badly damaged by Katrina. 

"I am very proud of the way these students sacrificed their spring break to put in the kind of hard work under adverse conditions that was necessary to give these homeowners some hope in the middle of what is still a very difficult situation," Thompson said.  "This trip has had a powerful impact on our students’ lives, and the experience has motivated them to seek out other ways to help people in need, whether in their home community, or around the world."

Greeley said the trip make a similar impact on the students she worked with.  "I'm impressed with how much the students learned and how they felt over those few days.  It is definitely an experience they won't forget," she said.

Both groups of students volunteered through the emergency and refugee program, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.  Greeley said a similar service-oriented trip will be planned for next year. 

DuBois – Business and Accounting students at Penn State DuBois are available to file taxes, free of charge, for anyone who qualifies for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program offered through the IRS. 

VITA is designed to give low income families professional-grade tax help, without the professional-grade bill. 

“The program is designed to catch a lot of entry errors that people often make while filing their taxes,” said Business Instructor Annette Muth.  “We can help them avoid those mistakes, while saving them up to $200 in fees.” 

Students completed a tax accounting class at Penn State DuBois, plus became certified with VITA through an online IRS program. 

You are eligible for this free service if your Earned Income is less than:
$38,646 ($41,646 for married) with more than one qualifying child
$33,995 ($36,995 for married) with one qualifying child
$12,880 ($15,880 for married) with no qualifying child

Volunteers will be available, by appointment only, every Wednesday in February and March from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. in Room 103 of the Swift Building at Penn State DuBois.   To make an appointment, call 1-800-822-2610.