Rider University Leaders Helping Disabled Adults

President Rozanski and members of the Rider University Leadership Development Program who participated in the community service effort.

The Rider University Leadership Development Program sponsored a community service effort on Saturday, February 9, sending 16 students and five volunteers from Young Leaders United (YLU) to five group homes where four or five adults with disabilities live. They played board games, set up a Valentine's Day Party, made arts and crafts, and participated in other fun activities. The group homes are part of Enable, Inc., which serves disabled adults by helping them live independently in their community.

Before visiting the homes, located throughout Mercer County, all volunteers gathered in the Cavalla Room for breakfast and instructions. President Mordechai Rozanski was on hand to welcome everyone and thank them for their dedicated service to the community and for the pride they bring to the University. Dr. Marc Wallace, director of the Leadership Development Program, then spoke to all of the students who volunteered. “We have a number of great, dedicated students who are providing a great service for these adults with disabilities,” said Wallace.

The Leadership Development Program is the focal point of the Center for the Development of Leadership Skills. The guiding assumption behind the Leadership Development Program is that everyone has opportunities to become a more confident leader and a role model for someone. To help students accomplish this goal, the LDP combines traditional academic learning with intensive skill training and supervised leadership experience through co-curricular activities, experiential learning, fieldwork, and community service.

The students belong to various student organizations on campus, mainly members of the Leadership Development Program and Rider Community Scholars/New Jersey Bonner Leaders. The YLU, part of the United Way of Greater Mercer County, includes young professionals between the ages of 25 to 45 who volunteer in their respective communities.

Some of the students, such as sophomore Zach Gaspari, were first-time volunteers. “This is the first time I have ever been involved in a community service project,” said Gaspari. “I have a good job, but I thought it would be a good idea to have this on my résumé as well. Plus, my girlfriend wants to work with children with special needs, so I want to learn how to help people with disabilities.”

“We service 11 group homes for people aged 25 to about 60,” said Kirsten Yard ’99, a Rider University alumna who serves as Enable’s community engagement coordinator. “We work with several organizations who volunteer from time to time with our group homes. So I was so happy when Marc Wallace called me to suggest that Rider get involved with Enable. Knowing the kind of students Rider attracts, it was a natural fit to have them spend some time with us and help our residents.”

“At least 60 percent of the students were first-time volunteers and despite some initial nervousness, they all had a positive experience” said Stella Hickman, graduate assistant for LDP. “The overall consensus of the students was that they appreciated the fact that they made a difference in the lives of the less fortunate.”

Submitted on February 29, 2008