SUNY WESTCHESTER NEWS A Mutually Enriching Experience This year 700+ volunteers contributed over 1,500 hours of service in a variety of settings and roles at SUNY WCC. While the impact on our students and programs was clear, our volunteers consistently reported that their lives were enriched too. Volunteers provided a wide range of services from academic tutoring, career coaching, and job interview prep, to helping students with disabilities access all the services the college has to offer, and volunteering at The Native Plant Center. One role our volunteers reported as being particularly rewarding was as a conversation partner for students who are not native English-speakers. The ability to communicate in English is key to securing a good job, integrating into the community, and simply navigating daily life. Helping students build confidence so they feel emboldened to practice using their fledgling English is literally a life-altering gift. Some of our corporate partners who organized teams of volunteers include PepsiCo spending a day outdoors pitching in at The Native Plant Center, Webster Bank participating in an on-campus job fair, and JPMChase continuing to provide invaluable financial-literacy coaching through our Money Smart Financial Coaching Program. Volunteers Celebrated! . AL ROCCHI, with Ben Naylor, was recognized for ve years serving as a volunteer math tutor at the Academic Support Center since retiring from his career as a lawyer in 2019. LUCILLE WERLINICH, with SUNY WCC Chief of Staff Ben Naylor, celebrated 23 years of service on the WCC Foundation’s Board of Directors, and 22 years as a Native Plant Center volunteer. LANA HILLER, with SUNY WCC President Dr. Belinda Miles, joined the Conversation Partners Program in 2004 and for 20 years has built one-on-one relationships with 38 international students, creating a welcoming environment that nurtures both language development and personal growth. The SUNY WCC Volunteer Program hosted two President’s Volunteer Appreciation Luncheons to recognize significant milestones reached by some of our most devoted volunteers. VOLUNTEERS 18
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