Bowdoin alumni will join students, staff, and faculty for the ninth annual Common Good Day on Saturday, though some participants will be thousands of miles away.
This year's on-campus event will have more than 500 volunteers participating in 64 service projects at 50 different work sites.
In addition, 100 alumni will participate in service projects from other locations, including events in San Diego, New York, Boston, Denver, Philadelphia, Florence, Bath, and Portland.
Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Renata Ledwick said that alumni involvement in Common Good Day is essential because "it is at the core of the mission of the school. Most alumni embrace [service] as one of the most important lessons that they reaped from their time at Bowdoin."
Senior Jessica Horstkotte, the event's organizer, has been working on the project since June (See story, page 5).
One new addition to the Common Good Day theme is that the Community Service Resource Center (CSRC) collaborated with Sustainable Bowdoin to compost the lunches served on Saturday.
"I was really excited when the Common Good Day organizers contacted me to discuss ways they could reduce the environmental impact of the event," said Coordinator for a Sustainable Bowdoin Keisha Payson.
According to Payson, there will be a station with bins set up for trash, compost, and recycling, and all compostable material will be sent to Hawk Ridge Compost Facility in Unity, Maine.
Also, the T-shirts that will be given to event participants are non-sweatshop produced.
Common Good Day is a popular activity for residential life groups, sports teams, and the College House System.
Osher Hall Head Proctor Pooja Desai '08 organized her floor to participate in the day as a group. Desai, who has participated in Common Good Day before, will be going with most of her proctees to a senior center for the afternoon.
"I can tell that it is a bonding experience for students," said Desai.
Chris Rossi '10 organized a group of Baxter affiliates to complete a project. "It's nice as a social house to branch out from the average parties," Rossi said.
Rossi added, "[Bowdoin is] a very big part of the [Brunswick] community. Anything that can be done to improve the relationship [with the town] is a good thing."
Common Good Day does not have slots for everyone who wants to participate. According to Coordinator of Community Service Programs Sarah Seames, "It's a balance between wanting to provide the opportunity and keeping it at a level that we can do it well."
Seames added that to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Common Good Day next year, there will likely be changes, including opportunities for more student participation.