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It's the Neighborly Thing to Do

By Ann E. Shanahan '59
 
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The Seasoned Volunteers
 
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When President Ruth Simmons pledged to use the resources of the college to help combat problems in the local community, she knew that many faculty, staff and students needed no encouragement, as they were already active participants in their own towns. Take, for instance, a recent session for local Internet neophytes that took place at Smith.
 
In mid-January, two dozen residents and schoolteachers from Hatfield, Massachusetts, took an introductory tour of the World Wide Web with the guidance of their neighbor and friend Alan Bloomgarden, who is also assistant director of faculty grants and government relations in the advancement office at Smith.
Although the session was one of a series of computer literacy classes offered by Hatfield's Breor Elementary School Net Day Initiative, it took place in a computer classroom at Smith. It was, as well, one of the countless ways that the college and its employees interact with Northampton and surrounding towns through the contribution of time, expertise and facilities. In Hatfield's case, town educators teamed up with an energetic group of parents working toward a statewide Net Day. The project's goal is to promote the use of the Internet as a learning tool in elementary and secondary school classrooms.
 
Although Bloomgarden, a Hatfield resident, does not have any children in the schools yet (his daughter is 4), he is interested in contributing his time and talent to efforts that will make his town's school system stronger. And, he says, even as a relatively new employee at Smith, he has become aware that being "a good community citizen" is a part of the college's mission and one that is encouraged among its employees as well. So, "using my computer skills for the benefit of my neighbors seemed like an appropriate thing to do," Bloomgarden says.
 
For those who work at Smith, being a good community citizen runs the gamut from serving on the boards of the United Way, the League of Women Voters or the AIDS Foundation of Western Massachusetts to being a Boy Scout leader, a Little League coach or a volunteer at the Cooley Dickinson Hospital.
 
Geology professor John Brady is well known to Northampton schoolteachers and to Cub Scout and Girl Scout groups for his willingness to host geology demonstrations at Smith's science center and to lead geology field trips or hikes to the area's dinosaur footprints. "I see it as a civic responsibility to share the science skills I have in ways that are helpful to the community. This is the way I can put my time to the most valuable use," he says. "To have Smith faculty members out in the community is a good sign of partnership and of helping the community at large."
 
Whether it's the college as an entity or as individuals, the message represented by the volunteer commitment is the same: good community citizenship matters at Smith.

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