NORWICH – In an effort to make a positive impact on teens and the community each semester, Professor Cyndi Riedi’s students at the Morrisville State College Norwich Campus team up for a Service Learning Project.
The various projects – which involve researching a specific population within the community and addressing its needs – are based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, typically described as a theoretical pyramid, said Riedi. The lower levels of the pyramid represent a population’s most basic needs – such as food, water, sleep and shelter – while the more complex needs are at the top.
“In Chenango County, we have a fairly large percentage of our population who are struggling to meet their most basic needs, and the current economy has increased the numbers of people needing help to meet those needs,” said Riedi. “My students have designed projects that are meant to help some of our disadvantaged residents.”
Each project is unique, added Riedi, and all six will be completed by the end of April, with the exception of Psychology 101 students Ernie Franklin and Jennifer Lovelace’s presentation on American veterans and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which will be held in early May.
That presentation will include a number of guest speakers who will detail the causes and symptoms of PTSD, as well as how to interact with those suffering from the disorder, said Riedi. And while it’s aimed at college faculty and students, it will also be open to the public, she added.
Olivia Taylor, A.J. Zimmer, Chelsea Estelow, Michael Perez, Jessica Strough, Danielle Lorimer, Nadine Spencer and Anita Hopkins – also Psychology 101 students – planned a food drive to benefit Catholic Charities of Chenango’s Roots and Wings program. The group has placed collection jars and boxes throughout the city and the Norwich Campus, and are also collecting monetary donations for the Chenango County SPCA.
“In our current economy, many families struggle to meet their own basic needs and the needs of their pets,” said Riedi. “For some, their only companionship is their pet, and my students hope to make it easier for disadvantaged families to keep their pets.”
Psychology 101 students Jacqui Rayne, Jamie Kratz, Catherine Benenati, Beverly Combes and Samantha Larrabee focused on collecting gently used clothing, appropriate for the summer months and back-to-school, also to be donated to the local Roots and Wings program. Nicknamed The Great Closet Cleanout, the group has placed collection boxes in various locations in Norwich, Oxford and Afton, which will be collected the week of April 10, added Riedi.
