For the fourth consecutive year, the Montclair State University community joined together to serve those in need by participating in the National Day of Service. Three hundred Montclair State students, faculty, staff, and alumni spent Saturday, September 8 helping local community organizations, cleaning up neighboring community areas, or helping in local food pantries.

As in years past, the National Day of Service held in honor of the heroes of 9/11 and in the spirit of those dedicated volunteers, the Montclair State community joined nearly one million other Americans around the nation to volunteer in their surrounding communities.

Montclair State volunteers served in 14 different community service projects in the communities of Montclair, Little Falls, Clifton, Bloomfield, Paterson, Hillside, and Jersey City, as well as on campus. The projects included cleaning up the Bonsal Wildlife Preserve in Montclair, sorting food donations at the Hillside Food Bank in Hillside and St. Peter’s Haven in Clifton, painting a mural at Clifton Public School #4, cleaning up public parks and streets in Little Falls, and a car wash of municipal vehicles in Haddon Heights.

Volunteers also worked on campus cleaning up the University grounds and participating in a letter writing effort to show appreciation to our veterans.

Joining all the Montclair State volunteers were volunteers from the local communities as everyone came together to help in the projects. The day was once again a great success and the spirit of volunteerism and service shown by all involved was a worthy tribute to those who served in the aftermath of the events of 9/11.

The University would like to recognize and thank the following campus units responsible for making the Day of Service a success. They include: The Center for Student Involvement along with its Volunteer Resource Center, Residential Education, Alumni Relations, the Service-Learning and Community Engagement Program, and Facility Services. Special thanks to Liberty Mutual and the NJ Commission on National and Community Service for their sponsorship of the Montclair State National Day of Service and remembrance.

View and download photos from the day at Flickr.com.