Alverno College students and staff pick up trash in the rain



MILWAUKEE -- Hundreds of students and staff from Alverno College made their way to Milwaukee's South Shore Beach Wednesday, April 25th to do a little spring cleaning.

"It's Community Day at Alverno, where there are no classes and almost no other functions going on. Almost the entire college can come out and volunteer in the community," Alverno College Associate Biology Professor Sherry Seston said.

The Alverno members signed up to help out at nearly two dozen sites throughout Milwaukee. "We want to show that everyone can do something, even if it's just for one day," Seston said.

This year marks Alverno's 125th anniversary and the college has launched an initiative called "Caring Counts" to encourage everyone to volunteer. College officials hope to reach an impressive goal by working together.

"Anybody -- friend, alumni, student, staff, faculty from Alverno can go online and log in their hours and that's keeping track, and we hope to reach 125,000 by the end of the year," Seston said.

As students and professors pulled trash out of the rocks and sand in the rain on Wednesday, they felt a sense of pride in their hard work. "It makes me feel like I've done something great for the community," Alverno College student Ashley Robinson said.

Many of the volunteers say the great feeling will motivate them to continue giving back well after Community Day.

If you are interested in volunteering through Alverno's "Caring Counts" initiative, CLICK HERE for more information.

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