Outreach

Neighbors in Cambria County have an opportunity to go solar in a group as part of the Cambria County Solar Co-op with the help of Solar United Neighbors . The co-op provides technical support and bulk purchasing power to help participants get a great deal while also building a network of solar supporters. Vision 2025 Johnstown and the Sierra Club’s Pennsylvania Chapter are the co-op sponsors. There are currently 22 participants in the group. Interested community members can still join. The group will hold its final public information session September 12 at 6 p.m. at Saint Francis University

The two-week-old infant screamed in discomfort. Loren Schweiger tightened her embrace and the baby slowly relaxed in her arms. “There, there,” said Loren. “All better.” Loren Schweiger is a “cuddler”. The Saint Francis University senior Healthcare Studies major donates a few hours each week helping console the most hapless victims of the opioid epidemic, newborn babies addicted to drugs, often heroin. “I learned in my Public Health class about the increase in babies born addicted to the drugs that their mothers took. I became emotional and I began to do some research. I found that UPMC in

Ten Saint Francis University students, faculty and staff dedicated their time and talents volunteering to help nearly 2,000 patients in need of dental treatments at a weekend-long domestic mission trip in Reading, Pennsylvania this past weekend. The Mission of Mercy in Pennsylvania organization (MOM-n-PA) is a large-scale, two-day dental clinic where treatment is provided to individuals at no cost. Each year, MOM-n-PA travels across the state with their mobile clinic treating under-served dental patients in need of care. The inaugural two-day mission took place in Philadelphia in 2013. Since

A unique partnership between local organizations and the Saint Francis University Shields School of Business is providing students opportunities to learn outside the classroom and engage in community outreach. Facilitated by the Shields’ Backpack to Briefcase Program , students from Dr. Tricia McFadden’s three upper-level marketing classes teamed up with local business owners to provide client-consultant marketing services. Students enrolled in the MKTG 404: Marketing Management, MKTG 321: Marketing Research, and MKTG 325: Integrated Marketing Communications courses engaged a praxis-approach

Ashley Rovder, an Environmental Engineering major, took part in a unique full-immersion study abroad experience in Bolivia. The experience was made possible through a collaboration between Saint Francis University and the University of Dayton’s Engineers in Technical Humanitarian Opportunities in Service Learning (ETHOS) project. Below, Ashley discusses her experience abroad. What service project did you work on while in Bolivia? I volunteered for SODIS (short for Solar Water Disinfection), a nonprofit organization in Cochabamba, Bolivia, that focuses on providing clean water for the community

Saint Francis University’s first “Become that Someone” Community Engagement Awards & Community Partner Appreciation Breakfast was held on Monday, April 9, 2018, at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in Loretto. Lisa Georgiana, Director of the Center for Service and Learning organized the first of what she hopes to be an annual event. “The purpose of the event is to celebrate our community partners, faculty, staff and students who are participating in and initiating community engagement activities and embracing the mission of the University with their hearts for service.” The mission at the

It isn’t a secret that children like to play with toys. You probably had a favorite toy when you were young. It also isn’t a secret that the Saint Francis University’s Toy Lending Library , located in the DiSepio Institute , has been lending toys to local families for years. Since 2009, the program has allowed children the opportunity, for FREE , to engage in play for growth and development. Who organizes the Library and plans the events? Toy Library Ambassadors, that’s who! Toy Ambassador and Occupational Therapy Sophomore, Allie Cummings, tells us about her experience in toy land. What is

In the town of Sabana Grande, a small agricultural based community in Nicaragua, the most common method for sanitation is pit latrines. Basically, it’s an outhouse over a hole dug in the ground. When full, the hole is simply covered and a new hole is dug. When the pits are dug in the ground and not lined by concrete or bricks, they risk groundwater contamination into the community wells used by residents. Staci Shoemaker, a Junior Environmental Engineering major at Saint Francis University, along with two students from the University of Dayton, were a part of the Engineers in Technical

The Saint Francis SCUBA Club volunteered on SFU’s annual R.E.D. (Reaching Every Door) Day to clean up the lake at Prince Gallitzin State Park. Nine students under the direction of Master SCUBA Diver Trainers, Nick Weakland and Dr. Patricia Fitzgerald donned wet and dry suits to dive into a portion of Glendale Lake practicing their search and rescue skills to remove any trash or unnatural debris polluting the beautiful park. R.E.D. Day is an annual day of service in which our students go into local communities to show appreciation for their support by giving of their time and talents. Students

The following story was published in the Spring/Summer 2015 issue of Saint Francis Magazine, but its message still resonates with the students, faculty and staff. To "Become That Someone" is a theme that remains relevant today, and every day. A poster that once hung above the bed of Maurice Stokes read, “People who need people are the luckiest people in the world.” This quote sums up perfectly the inspirational brotherhood of former Saint Francis basketball star Maurice Stokes and his NBA teammate Jack Twyman , and, over the course of this year, has also started to ring true for many of Saint