Students Collect Donations for Charity

Doug's Corner President Nicole Weising stands with the donation tree in South Hall. Photo by Diane VanDyke

Students from West Campus community service club Doug’s Corner are collecting baby items and donations for the Ronald McDonald House during September for National Baby Safety Awareness Month.

To contribute, take a tag from the tree in the South Hall lobby and purchase the item listed. Or, you can pick up a form to donate 10 percent of your purchase price from Five Below to the initiative.

Items should be dropped off with Cindy Murphy in the Student Success Center by Oct. 1.

Students Support Community Organizations in November and December

by Alana J. Mauger

During November, students and staff participated in a variety of activities around the theme “Our Current Economy and its Impact on Low Income Families” as part of the College’s annual Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.

Many of the College’s student clubs organized activities to support the initiative. At the West Campus, Doug’s Corner staged “Knitting for the Needy,” a service project that taught students how to knit hats and scarves that were then donated to the Pottstown Cluster Outreach. Doug’s Corner also prepared and served food in a local soup kitchen and homeless shelter operated by Ministries on Main in Pottstown. In addition, the club collected 211 pounds of non-perishable food and $200 for Philabundance, which they donated through WMMR’s Camp Out for Hunger.

Members of Doug's Corner are pictured with the crew from the Preston & Steve Morning Show at WMMR's Camp Out for Hunger. Photo by Alana J. Mauger

At the Central Campus, the Mustangs basketball teams collected canned goods through the month of November, which they presented Manna on Main Street during half-time of a game.  The Thrive Club sponsored a “TRIVEOUT” concert that collected more than 500 food items for Philabundance and was attended by approximately 350 students and community residents. And, Theatre Arts and Drama Club students donated a portion of tickets sales from the four performances of the play “Buried Child.”

Mustangs Basketball team members present food donations to Manna on Main Street Executive Director Tom Allebach. Photo by Alana J. Mauger

The Student Government Associations at both campuses kicked off their “Giving Tree” initiative, benefitting the Salvation Army, and the Medical Assisting Clubs collected a total of 182 gently used winter coats for the Pottstown Cluster Outreach.

Students’ community efforts continued into December, when West Campus Radiography program students filled 25 “Stockings for Kids,” an initiative sponsored by the Salvation Army and B101. In addition, the Student Nurses Club presented $400 in grocery and retail gift cards to the North Penn School District for distribution to homeless families during the during the holiday season.

The Student Nurses Club presents a gift card tree to NPSD administrators. Pictured (from left) are Jenna Rufo, Manager of Special Education and Liaison for Homelessness, NPSD; Christine Dunigan, Assistant Professor of Nursing; Steve Duft, Home and School Visitor, NPSD, Barbara Harvey, Nursing program sophomore; Donna Gresh, Registrar, NPSD; Denise Davidson, Assistant Professor of Nursing; Steve Christman, Home and School Visitor, NPSD; and Linda Abram, Family and Community Engagement Specialist, NPSD. Photo by Alana J. Mauger

Students Collect Canned Goods During Halloween Drive

Members of Doug’s Corner, a student-led community service club at the West Campus in Pottstown, collected 250 non-perishable items on Halloween during their annual “Trick or Treat for Canned Goods” service project. The collected items were delivered to the food pantry at Open Door Ministry in Royersford.

Several days before Halloween, club members distributed flyers to residents in the Pottstown area explaining the food drive and requesting that contributions be placed outside in a clearly-marked bag for pick up on Oct. 31. The students then worked in teams to collect the donations.

Campus student leaders (from left) Bill Reynolds, Natasha McIntyre and Nicole Weising prepare to deliver collected non-perishable items to Open Door Ministry. Photo by Alana J. Mauger

Student Profile: Krysta DiSabitino

by Alana J. Mauger

2010 Montgomery County Community College graduate Krysta DiSabitino has one piece of advice for incoming students: get involved.

“My experience at the College has been nothing short of amazing,” she said. “Even when things were tough, I have always enjoyed every second of it. My favorite part of my MCCC experience was being a part of Doug’s Corner.”

Krysta joined Doug’s Corner, a student club at the College’s West Campus that devotes itself to community service, during her freshman year. She served as the Club’s secretary and vice president before becoming president in her sophomore year.

“The club allowed me to meet some of the most wonderful people that I know, and it also motivated me to always do the best that I can,” she said. “We made a lot of things happen, even though we were a small club by number of members. I am now a firm believer in being able to make things happen, no matter what.”

Krysta’s college experience began during the summer between her freshman and sophomore years of high school while she participated in the LEAD Institute (Learn Encourage and Do) Program.

“I ended up having the best summer of my life, as well as meeting life long friends,” she said of her experience with LEAD. “I was so amazed with the faculty and staff; they were all so kind, patient, and understanding. It was because of this experience that I knew that I wanted to be a part of this incredible institution.”

Krysta graduated in May 2010 with an Associate in Arts degree in Secondary Education. In the fall, she will transfer to Indiana University of Pennsylvania to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Family and Consumer Science.

“I would like to, once I receive my bachelor’s degree, start teaching in the high school that I attended, Spring-Ford. If not there, some other school in Montgomery county because I feel that this area does an excellent job of preparing it’s students,” she said. “I would also like to try to join the Air Force Reserves. I feel that the military could open up many great opportunities as well as make me a better person, American, and teacher. Ultimately, I would like to receive my doctorate and teach college.”

“Maybe I’ll teach at MCCC,” she added with a smile.

photo by John Welsh