A lot of good things happened on Sunday, April 15, when students and clubs teamed together to tackle the Community Cleanup hosted and organized by the Student Alumni Council (SAC).

“Doing good things in the community is a good thing,” junior Tia Robertson said.

Senior and SAC president Adam Miller said he takes pride in the student engagement with the local community.

“It’s fun because we get to give back to the neighbors when a lot of the time we are not notoriously liked by everybody,” Miller said. “It’s nice to at least give back to the neighborhood because they do a lot. They’re a big part of why St. Thomas is successful.”

Senior SAC Co-Chair Katelyn Ryan said that this event is beneficial to the locals in more ways than one.

“Community members obviously get their yard raked and that’s helpful to them; a lot of them are elderly or disabled,” Ryan said. “I think they really enjoy having younger people around them for the day.”

For junior Tia Robertson, it is a whole new experience.

“I’ve never done yard work,” Robertson said.

Since the Community Cleanup comes around each semester, St. Thomas students have several opportunities to get involved.

“Service is a great experience. I think every St. Thomas student have an opportunity to do while they’re here. It’s one of the pillars of St. Thomas,” Ryan said. “It really makes you appreciate what you have and appreciate what people around you that you don’t always consider.”

For senior Taylor Trowbridge, the cleanup is a great way for students to lend a helping hand.

“We really like to help out our community and help out our college campus a lot,” Trowbridge said.

Katherine Curtis can be reached at curt1354@stthomas.edu.