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BIDDEFORD, Maine

Media outlets spotlight UNE’s first annual Day of Service

Sarah Nelson (left) and Samantha Funk perform yard work at Biddeford Estates.
Sarah Nelson (left) and Samantha Funk perform yard work at Biddeford Estates. The nursing home was one of many organizations at which participants volunteered. Others included Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center, Community Head Start, American Red Cross, Bon Appetit Meals Programs and Maine Veterans' Homes.

UNE’s first annual Day of Service, held April 9, was prominently featured in the news on WMTW Channel 8, was reported on by WGME Channel 13 news, and was highlighted by the Journal Tribune.

Event leaders coordinated a large volunteer mission with scores of UNE students, faculty and staff gathering together at the Campus Center before dispersing to 26 different volunteer sites in the Biddeford-Saco-Kennebunk area.

Sam McReynolds, Ph.D., professor and chair in the Department of Society, Culture and Languages and academic coordinator of the Office of Citizenship and Civic Engagement; Theo Dunfey, director of community programs at UNE; and senior Sarah Hoover, an Applied Social and Cultural Studies major, who was instrumental in organizing the event, were interviewed on live television several times throughout the morning prior to the event’s kick off, led by President Danielle Ripich.  

When asked by a WMTW reporter why she became involved in the UNE Day of Service, Hoover replied, “We have lots of different citizenship courses that are local and global, and we have lots of different community service organizations and clubs that are around campus, but we…[didn’t] have a day solely committed to just helping our community that we live in for four years, and I think that is really important, so I decided to take on the project. And I think it… really encompasses UNE’s mission.”

The story, including another interview with Hoover, was also featured on WMTW’s evening news.

WGME Channel 13 highlighted the good work performed by the volunteer group that worked with the American Red Cross, installing smoke detectors in the homes of families in need.

Watch one of the WMTW news segments that aired live

Watch the WMTW evening news segment

Watch the news on WGME

Read the Journal Tribune article

Matthew Organ (left) and Charlie Misenti perform spring clean-up at Clifford Park in Biddeford.
Matthew Organ (left) and Charlie Misenti perform spring clean-up at Clifford Park in Biddeford.
UNE volunteers pose with American Red Cross workers before heading out to install smoke detectors.
UNE volunteers pose with American Red Cross workers before heading out to install smoke detectors.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.