Center for Public Service Hosts Annual Engage Expo
The Center for Public Service hosted the Engage Expo on the path between Stine Lake and the Plank Gym on Wednesday. (Brandon Fey/The Gettysburgian)
By Brandon Fey, News Editor
The Center for Public Service at Gettysburg College offers students a variety of opportunities to volunteer on behalf of the local community and participate in immersion projects. These offerings were showcased at the Engage Expo held along the path between Stine Lake and Plank Gym on Wednesday, Aug. 29 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Students were invited to peruse the display of project boards and talk to student coordinators about their volunteer programs and immersion projects. Program Coordinator Rachel Farbman ’25 presented her program, casa sunday swimming, which provides swimming lessons to students in the Gettysburg community from the campus pool. “This event really helps us to get to know the first-year class and engage them in the work that we do,” she said.
Program coordinators used the expo to connect with potential volunteers who may assist with their projects.
“That’s why it’s called the Engage Expo,” Farbman explained. “Hopefully we’ll get volunteers and hopefully it’ll help us get started sooner and really get some energy around our work and programs.
One of the attendees was Meg Green ’28, who came to the expo to find volunteer opportunities in her new community. “I’ve always liked volunteering, so this is really right up my alley. There are some amazing programs here,” she stated.
In addition to volunteer programs, the expo also featured several immersion projects involving educational travel to places around the country and internationally. Natalie Frisch ’27 is starting her first year as project leader for the women’s rights and Islam trip to Morocco. “I was fortunate enough to be a participant on this trip last year, and I had an amazing experience. It inspired me to become the immersion project leader for this year, so I’m really excited to be here.”
The event attracted a considerable amount of interest within the first 30 minutes and attendees were given popsicles upon check-in. Frisch noted, “I’m gaining a lot of interest so far. I’m trying to plug it to as many people as I can because I can’t stress enough how great of an experience it was to really be immersed in a different culture.”
“It’s exciting,” said director of the Center for Public Service Jeffrey Rioux. “At the beginning of the year, students are settling into their routines and we want one of their new habits to be engagement in the community and learning about the people who live here and the good things that they’re doing. This is the first opportunity to do that,” he said.
Rioux, like other CPS staff members, is optimistic about engaging the incoming class of 2028 along with returning students and faculty in community service.
“We do it [the Engage Expo] in the first week to give our student leaders the opportunity to talk to all the students. It’s a big event for first years and a lot of faculty encourage their classes to come here and give extra credit for that. We get a broad group of students from all four past years out here, learning about the opportunities and signing up to get involved,” said Rioux.
Students discuss volunteer opportunities with program coordinators at the Expo. (Brandon Fey/The Gettysburgian)
