Student Service Group Benefits Town and Gown Communities
David Price (December 2009)
An organization of students majoring in Rehabilitation and Human Services in the College of Education has been extending its efforts to give back to the community. The Rehabilitation and Human Services Student Organization (RHSSO) started a few years ago and has been growing steadily as its members volunteer at and raise money to donate to local charities and agencies.
The RHSSO serves the community both on and off of Penn State's campus and strives to make a positive difference. “This organization serves to create a warm and welcoming environment for people with similar interests to come together and collaborate on ways to impact our community and the lives of those around us...(while) fostering the opportunity to engage students with faculty on a personal level,” say Alexa Hodge, secretary of RHSSO.
RHSSO has accomplished its objectives by offering community service experience, arranging group socials events, holding monthly meetings, and raising money for charities. “All RHS students display empathy, friendliness, and passion towards others,” adds Kate Nuschke, the communications chair for RHSSO. “These characteristics are the foundation of the student organization and provide the basis of RHSSO goals.”
Recently, RHSSO students hosted a fundraiser at Rotelli restaurant that raised money for The Second Mile, an organization that helps troubled youth throughout Pennsylvania. They also hosted a dance in Pollock Commons for PSU LifeLink students and students from the special education program at State College Area High School. The students also have visited the Brookline nursing home where they played bingo with residents, and in the spring, RHSSO will be raising money in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.
