Pushing his wheelbarrow filled with mountains of mulch up a steep hillside, Chris DeFrancesco quickly realizes he won't make it to the top. "I knew I should have gotten a better running start," the sophomore mechanical engineering major says to himself, just before his feet slip out from underneath him. Breaking his fall with his forearms, he avoids an embarrassing face plant against the cold hard dirt, if not a few jabs from his fellow volunteers who witness the gaffe. Thankfully, his load remains intact and stationary.
It's late March, and while most students are staying indoors, DeFrancesco and nearly 100 other young men and women are devoting a Saturday afternoon off campus to assist the Hosanna House in Wilkinsburg, a community center which serves thousands of people in Pittsburgh's eastern suburbs. It's all part of Carnegie Mellon's partnership with the Pittsburgh CARES foundation and its "1,000-plus Day of Service," bringing together students, coaches, faculty, staff, and alumni to volunteer one day per year at multiple sites throughout the greater Pittsburgh area.
This day's group is comprised of student-athletes from the football team, women's soccer team, and men's basketball team, plus Beta Theta Pi fraternity and Kappa Alpha Theta sorority members. They're removing fallen branches, cleaning pool and patio furniture, and clearing out storage areas at Hosanna House's Sherwood Property, a 14-acre parcel located five minutes away from the community center. The grounds offer playing fields, an outdoor pool, and other recreation facilities used by various children's summer camps as well as adults.
Landscaping mishap aside, DeFrancesco values the chance to build camaraderie with other students while helping beyond the boundaries of campus. A member of Lambda Sigma honor society, he collaborated with Pittsburgh CARES to organize the project on campus and solicit student volunteers.
"Sometimes we get caught up in the CMU bubble," says DeFrancesco, a defensive back for the Tartans' football team who recently was awarded a full academic scholarship from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "It's such an intense environment. Some of us play sports, too, and we spend so much time on the field or in the classroom or in the library that you feel like you can't get off campus. Or maybe you don't want to spend what little free time you have doing service.
"But doing things like this, leaving your mark by helping others who appreciate it ... yeah, you don't have to, but maybe you should. It's worth it."
—Chris A. Weber
