As the term wound down, service projects ramped up

 
’Tis the season for service, and Roanoke College students, faculty and staff participated in a variety of projects this semester to benefit both the campus and the wider community. 

One of those projects was the Free Store, which was the brainchild of Sophie Chickering ’24 and Jamie Pan ’23. 

“Come in, it’s all free,” Chickering called out as curious students poked their heads into the Pickle Lounge at the Colket Center on Dec. 15. “Take whatever you like.” 

Spread out across multiple tables, piles of clothes, bedding and household odds-and-ends beckoned to passersby, temporarily transforming the event space into a pop-up shop that student organizers had dubbed the Free Store. 

The event combined sustainability principles — emphasizing the “reuse” in reduce/reuse/recycle — with a service-minded spirit of Maroons helping others. 

The giveaway items were donated by students from across campus as dorm rooms were being packed up and tidied in anticipation of winter break. The items collected were offered up for free to thrifty classmates or other takers during the pop-up. Donations not scooped up would be given to charity. 

Chickering and Pan, both environmental studies majors, hope Free Store will become a recurring event. Pan is evaluating this month’s test run and drafting a long-term, self-sustaining action plan for future events as part of her Honors Distinction Project. 

Chickering, who’s active in the eco-focused RC Sustain student club, hopes to keep the effort going into next year. The December pop-up was organized in only a few days with collection bins placed in dorms during finals week, but it generated a surprising number of donations, she said. Organizers estimated about 100 articles of clothing were given. Books, jewelry and small household goods were also collected. 

Pan said the idea of a free store resonated with her both because of the environmental benefits and because it can bring people together. 

“Through community, students are able to get what they need,” she explained. “Things can be so expensive. But when we help each other, you might not need to pay all that money.” 

“It’s a little inspired by my own childhood,” she added. “My dad was a single father just trying to make ends meet. He would find a lot of really cool things on places like Facebook Marketplace that people just wanted to give away. I find that kind of community to be incredibly heartwarming and giving, and I wanted to be part of bringing some of it to Roanoke.” 

Meanwhile, in the Fine Arts Department, Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre Audrey Hamilton had two of her classes this semester working on service projects. 

Hamilton’s INQ110 course walked to the TAP Head Start Center in Salem and participated in activities with the students there.

Her Costume Construction class designed and sewed pet beds and delivered them to the Salem Humane Society.  

Betsy Parkins, director of Roanoke’s Center for Leadership and Entrepreneurial Innovation, led her INQ300 class in a study of various aspects of homelessness in the Roanoke region.  

One team of students looked at period poverty and its impact on homeless women, for example. The students also did a supply drive and worked with Ursula’s Café, a pay-as-you-can café that provides community space, quality food and artistic programming for people in the Roanoke area, regardless of economic means.   

Another project continued a longstanding tradition at Roanoke: the West End Center for Youth’s Angel gift drive. For this project, faculty and staff members adopted student “angels” from the West End Center, then purchased them new clothes. The goal is to have an outfit for each student at the center. This year’s Angel project reached new heights with 124 student angels served. Many faculty and staff members participate each year and look forward to buying clothes and shoes for the students. The drive is organized on campus by Teresa Gereaux ’87, director of public relations. 

Two buses from the West End Center arrived on campus Tuesday, Dec. 13, and gift bags stuffed with new clothes and shoes were loaded on the bus. Danny Britton, director of operations at West End Center, said gifts will be distributed to the student angels at a party next week. Britton was accompanied for the pick-up by Ryan Filegar ’12, a health and human performance graduate from Roanoke College who oversees peacebuilders and wellness at the center.   

Roanoke College has a long history with the West End Center, and Roanoke students regularly volunteer at the center in downtown Roanoke. 

“Many faculty and staff members look forward to the West End Center Angel project,” Gereaux said. “It’s wonderful to see those festive gifts start to roll in. It’s become a treasured holiday tradition for many in the Roanoke College community.”