Service is one of the foundational roots of Villanova and was recently celebrated and demonstrated a couple weeks ago, at Villanova’s 20th Day of Service. Now that the day has passed, here are some other ways to stay involved in service on campus.
APO:
First, there is Alpha Phi Omega (APO), which is an all-gender, service fraternity at Villanova. APO has around 125 members and is a recognized service fraternity that has chapters across the country. The chapter’s values are leadership, service and friendship and help give back to others in the greater Philadelphia area at a variety of service sites, as well as participate in bonding activities with one another.
Senior Pat Cregan, who is the President of APO and oversees the executive board, ensures the members uphold the requirements within the chapter, such as fellowship events to help strengthen its community and 15 hours of service each semester.
Cregan shared his experience with the group over the years and more about the chapter as a whole.
What has been your favorite part of service?
“My favorite part of APO is definitely the people,” he said. “The people in APO are so friendly and enthusiastic that it’s easy to get to know one another.”
What does a typical day of service look like?
“There is no typical day of service in APO, we serve dozens of communities throughout the semester and aim to have at least one to two different service projects every week to broaden our reach and impact in the Greater Philadelphia Area,” Cregan said.
Why did you get involved?
“I joined APO because I was looking for a community of selfless and kind people who care about making a positive impact on the lives around them – and I found exactly that,” he said.
How does one get involved?
“We open applications at the beginning of every semester, upon acceptance, you will be placed into a pledge class with about 30-40 other new members,” he said. “Our Instagram is the best place to stay up to date on information [@apo_villanova].”
COV:
Next, there is Community Outreach of Villanova (COV), which helps students serve at sites across Philadelphia per their availability and interests. The program helps transport the students to and from Philadelphia every week, helping with tasks including volunteering at soup kitchens, farming and more.
Junior Charlie Perricelli, who is a site coordinator for the organization, mainly helps with the coordination between the nonprofits they serve at and site leaders who lead the students for service.
Perricelli shared more about COV and his experience in the organization after the past couple of years.
What has been your favorite part of service?
“My favorite part of service has been becoming connected with Philadelphia and getting to experience the city more than I otherwise would,” Perricelli said.
What does a typical day of service look like?
“Students would meet up with their groups and be transported to their service site where they would serve for usually about an hour before being transported back,” he said. “We have different sites, some examples are sites that do English tutoring for adults [or] science experiments with kids.”
Why did you get involved?
“I joined because service has been an important way that I feel belonging and purpose in communities,” he said. “I knew it would be a great idea to get involved in service at ‘Nova.”
How does one get involved?
“To get involved, check out our Instagram [(nova_cov)], our website or email us at [email protected],” he said.
RUIBAL:
Finally, RUIBAL is mainly a first-year service program, in which students go to schools in the greater Philadelphia area with group leaders and help with after-school programs for kids in grades ranging from pre-k to eighth.
Junior Rose Mazzeo is the Social Justice Education Chair for the organization and helps to plan events geared towards the volunteers learning about issues affecting the communities they serve.
Mazzeo shared her knowledge about the club and what her experience has been for the past two years.
What has been your favorite part of service?
“My favorite part [has] been the bonds I’ve built with the students and service and my fellow volunteers,” she said. “I always look forward to taking a break from my life at school and being able to have a fun change of pace at service.”
What does a typical day of service look like?
“Meeting up with your group in St. Rita’s at either 2:30 or 3, riding in a van to service, and getting back to campus by 5:30 or 6,” she said. “[Activities] could include playing outside with the kids, reading with them or even playing tennis.”
Why did you get involved?
“I wanted to get involved in service and meet other freshmen who also wanted to get involved,” Mazzeo said.
How does one get involved?
“If you are a first-year student or an upperclassman that would like to lead a group you can email [email protected],” she said.
Villanova has a variety of ways to stay involved in service and meet people who share similar values of helping out the greater community.
