Students looking to take a break from their books during fall Reading Week are being encouraged to spend time giving back to the community.<\/p>\n
Brock\u2019s Alternative Reading Week \u2014 Local program, held during the week of Oct. 8 to 13, channels the spirit of the University\u2019s spring Reading Week service trips abroad while offering assistance to local organizations.<\/p>\n
Along with students, faculty and staff from the University are also invited to participate.<\/p>\n
Volunteers will head to one of three local sites to volunteer their time. They will visit residents of Loyalist Retirement Residence in St. Catharines on Wednesday, Oct. 10; paint rooms at Christian Horizons group home in Port Colborne on Thursday, Oct. 11; and help with the Pumpkinville 2018 event at Happy Rolph\u2019s Animal Farm in St. Catharines on Saturday, Oct. 13.<\/p>\n
Megan Brown, Brock\u2019s Community Engagement Co-ordinator, says students have the chance to discover opportunities for outreach in the region that they may not have heard about before.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrock is an important part of the community,\u201d she said. \u201cBy volunteering during your time off, it\u2019s a great way to give back and learn something new while also promoting longer-term connections with various organizations around Niagara.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brown said the Reading Week program also allows students to take in some of the colours of the fall season in parts of Niagara they might not normally visit.<\/p>\n