By Sylvia Benavidez
Thirteen sites in Albion got attention during the fifth One Albion Community Day on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 9 a.m. to noon. Dr. Sheila Lyons-Sobaski, the new faculty director for the Center for Sustainability and the Environment at Albion College and a biology professor, said participation was up. Based on previous years’ attendance, 125 T-shirts were made for the event, but they were gone just a few minutes after 9 a.m. “We had 125 T-shirts and we had more people register after they were gone. This is the biggest one yet,” Lyons-Sobaski said.
Volunteers picked up trash around Bidwell, Erie and West Chestnut streets. Others applied sealant and stain to the Albion River Walk Bridge, while another group stained the bleachers at Harris Field. More volunteers cleaned displays and picked up trash at Holland Park.
This year, Lyons-Sobaski worked with former CSE director Tom Wilch and AmeriCorps, the event’s co-host. But she is no stranger to One Albion Community Day, having volunteered herself over the years. She said she appreciates AmeriCorps’ partnership and what the two groups do to support Albion. “It really illustrates the amazing experience that our AmeriCorps interns get not only with Albion College but also with the AmeriCorps program and how much that contributes to our community,” she said. “They are essential to having this event, as well as the work at the student farm assisting at the community gardens and Community Table. One of the things we are concerned about is food security, and that’s a very important thing. This is a way we can contribute to providing fresh, healthy, wholesome foods for people in Albion and the greater Albion area.”
Albion Mayor Victoria Garcia Snyder worked with international Albion College students, returning students and new students at the Marshall Opportunity High School site. “We went to the Community Table at the high school and we did restocking. We did cleaning. Oh my gosh, everything it would normally take one person hours to do, with seven of us being able to pitch in, we were able to do it in an hour and a half,” she said.
Garcia Snyder was encouraged to see Albion residents participating in this year’s One Albion Community Day and hopes more will participate next year. She also encourages them to remember there are opportunities to serve all year long. “When it comes to needs throughout the community, there are so many organizations that do great work that could use support, so maybe tapping into the nonprofit organizations very similar to Community Table and Community Garden, and see what else can be done through those organizations that have a great impact,” she said.
Council members Lenn Reid and Andy French, as well as members of Citizens to Beautify Albion also volunteered. A new member of the group, James Glavan, moved from Austin, Texas, to the Albion two years ago. In that time, Glavan and his family developed a true appreciation for Albion. “I feel we have a responsibility and a joy of living in Albion and just want to be of assistance to keep ourselves active in the community,” Glavan said. “Albion is a growing, charming town, and there are a lot of people supporting Albion, and there’s reconstruction and revitalization, and we just want to be a part of it.”
Albion College student Galileo Dennis, came from Portland, Oregon, to Albion five years ago. He attended Marshall High School and now attends Albion College. He was one of the student organizers of Community Day this year and said participating in service events helps him appreciate the city and its residents more than when he was in high school. By participating, he and other students can see beyond a common myth found on campus. Dennis said that myth is “the city, is separate from the college. It really is a part of the foundation of the college, as well as the college being a foundation for the city. A lot of college students assume that the city is this other place, but in reality, it is a part of the college and vice versa.”
Dennis said hands-on events like One Albion Community Day are vital to changing that perception of separation. “They are actually getting right into this community and learning about it and participating in it and meeting community leaders, so this is really a great way to bridge that gap,” he said.
“I think because I went to Community Day in my freshman year, I think that motivated me to get more involved with the community and on campus, and that’s what has pushed me every year,” Albion College student Clarissa Mendoza said. Her assignment this year taught her about another college and city collaboration. “The community garden is a resource for everybody. Anyone is able to go and get any vegetables that they need. They are a big contributor to the community. I knew it existed, but I didn’t know how much it did for the community,” Mendoza said.
Volunteer and Albion resident Kay Knight said the collaboration helps. “I think the collaboration with gown to town helps us quite a bit because just the citizens alone can’t do it all,” she said. “I really appreciate the college encouraging their students to come out and help us.”
