About 20 Felician University students took part in the Felician Make a Difference Day on Saturday, November 7. Students decked out in Felician Green T-shirts decorated with autumn leaves fanned out, garbage bags in hand, to pick up litter in the exterior areas around the Rutherford campus including the Rutherford municipal building, public library, and Rutherford High School. “I think it’s important to take care of your home, take care of where you’re living and be a part of the community,” said Emilie Casiano, who works for the Residents Life Office and designed the Make a Difference Day T-shirts.  “I live on campus as a staff member. So, this is my home and it’s important to keep it clean.”

The event was organized by two graduate assistants who work in the Office of Residents Life, Nicole Aumack and Eddie Cannon, II. “We just wanted to show that Felician is not just a small campus in Rutherford, we are also a part of the community and we want to be part of it to help clean up,” said Amurack. Cannon chose scripture from the Book of Matthew for the back of the T-shirts that pretty much summed things up, “Ye are the light of the world. Let your light so shine before men.” As Cannon explained “Growing up it was one of the things I was taught – let your light so shine, and to not be afraid to be who you are. I think part of the Felician Values is to show that light out to the world, and I believe action is how you show your light as well.”

Students say they already know Rutherford is a clean town. They just wanted to demonstrate their willingness to do their part to help keep it that way. Natalie Swindell is a junior at Felician where she is studying education with a focus in psychology. She felt it was important to take part in the clean-up despite the COVID-19 pandemic. “Getting out in the community right now in a COVID setting isn’t easy, and this gave us a way to be socially distant while helping clean the community, and getting to know each other.”  All students wore masks while participating in the clean-up.

Sophomore nursing student Ciara Caraballo agreed saying, “I thought it’d be a great opportunity to do something for the community, meet more people, and get some community service in.”

In fact, “getting some community service in,” is actually a very big part of the Felician University experience, and a requirement for athletes and those in the Honors program. Accounting major Junior Giana DeStefano serves on the Student Government Association and is Vice President of the Young Entrepreneurs Club. “We are really all about our Franciscan Values and one of them is to make sure you take care and give back to people.”

Dr. Ron Gray, Vice President of Student Affairs & Dean of Students said the project was really all about demonstrating how to be a good and friendly neighbor. “It’s really about transformation, changing lives, giving and being of service and showing compassion, not only compassion to the community, which is Felician, but to the community at large.”

Business administration major Richard Mejia is Vice President of the Student Government Association, plays on the Lacrosse team and likes to help out around campus. “I like to see my campus clean and I’d like to see other student athletes come out and help get involved in the community.” Biological Science pre-med student Mariama Odoi said, “I just love to give service to others, especially my community, and I believe helping the community like this is part of my duty as a child of God.”

Felician Associate Professor of Art Melissa MacAlpin, MFA joined in on the clean-up efforts saying “I love what Dr. Gray is doing at the school, and how he is getting the students to think larger than just our campus and how the students are becoming part of the community of Rutherford. I’m always impressed with our students and how much they are willing to give.”

That message and the students’ clean-up efforts weren’t lost on Rutherford residents, some whom stopped by to say thanks, including Bob Hansen who first saw the students as they picked up trash along Park Avenue. “It’s an incredible day, and as I’m  walking up the avenue, I saw a couple of people in the same T- shirts picking stuff up walking down the avenue, and I had no idea why they were doing it. Then I came by the post office, and I see another crowd of people wearing the same T- shirts picking stuff up. And that is amazing.”

Canon says students plan to do another Make a Difference Day in the future and believes the lesson is something they will be able to bring with them when they leave Felician and go out into the world.