Pitt-Greensburg Engaging with the Community

Animal Lovers: Pitt-Greensburg loves animals and it shows through the campus’ contributions to local animal rescues. Whether it’s tidying up the wildlife rescue’s grounds, making birdhouses, cleaning dog kennels, or building cat trees, or making treats and toys for shelter animals, Pitt-Greensburg students continue to be a reliable, consistent resource to these organizations.

Blood Drives: Each semester, Pitt-Greensburg hosts at least one on-campus blood drive to help save lives—especially during those times of the year when donations are scarce. Pitt-Greensburg partners with the America Red Cross and Vitalant to offer this life-saving donor opportunity to both the Greensburg and the campus communities.

Children Activities:  Children are important to the Pitt-Greensburg community, and each semester features a variety of activities designed to educate, entertain, and make children feel special. Campus clubs and  organizations celebrate Halloween with free Trunk or Treat/Halloween Carnival events that feature decorated vehicles, costumes, and treat bags for 200+ children. Plus, the Black Student Union organized a costume drive for the Jeannette Head Start. In December, the campus community donates gifts (a toy and clothing for each child) and $50 Giant Eagle gift cards (one to a family) to the children enrolled in the Jeannette Head Start—another campus tradition for more than 20 years. Pitt-Greensburg students then host an on-site holiday party that includes crafts, games, snacks—and a visit from Santa Claus! In support of literacy, Pitt-Greensburg students planned a special reading event on campus for local children, and Dr. Suess Day was celebrated in a local elementary school with bingo, snacks, books, and activities. Annually, more than 200 people, including 100+ children, attend the campus’s annual Easter Egg Hunt. Partnering with the Kiwanis Club of Greensburg and Rabbit Wranglers, the Circle K student group prepares and hides plastic Easter eggs filled with goodies.

Elder Care:  Working with nursing homes in the area, Pitt-Greensburg students brightened the residents’ days throughout the year with cards, snacks, breakfast items, and other activities. Actual visits to the nursing homes were curtailed because of the pandemic.

Environmental Concerns: Pitt-Greensburg students frequently volunteer for environmentally related activities during our biannual Into the Street community service events. Students can be found cleaning up grounds and facilities for the local wildlife rescue center or animal rescue organizations. Other students volunteer to assist a local group of women religious in preparing their gardens, building fencing, harvesting vegetables, cleaning up, and composting. Whether it’s yardwork for the elderly or cleaning a section of Old Airport Road through PennDOT’s Adopt-a-Highway program, the Pitt-Greensburg campus is serving others. On campus, students participate in the spring clean-up where they help with cleaning garbage out of Slate Run Creek and plant flowers on campus.

Food Insecurity: Committed to helping eliminate food insecurity both on campus and in our community, Pitt-Greensburg regularly participates in a variety of activities. Our Free Little Food Pantries help students experiencing food insecurity by making non-perishable food items easily accessible on campus—no questions asked. Students regularly volunteer with the Westmoreland Food Bank and have donated more than 10,000 of pounds of food since the inception of the annual Campus Challenge Food Drive in 2009. The elderly in our community are supported, too, when our students volunteer with Meals on Wheels, as well as helping other community programs distribute food to those in need.

Housing/Building Maintenance: Pitt-Greensburg’s campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity is active locally and in other states through its annual Alternative Spring Break trip to a southern build site where they help to build homes for others. These life-changing trips often are mentioned by our alumni as one of the highlights of their college experience. Locally, our HFH chapter worked on build sites in Jeannette and Lowber doing demo work and general construction. They also help to staff the HFH ReStore. Students volunteer with other organizations to paint facilities, reorganize furniture, and help with seasonal decorations.

Mental Health Concerns: Pitt-Greensburg students can participate in numerous wellness and resiliency activities on campus, and Psychology is one of our most popular majors. That translates into a general understanding of the importance of caring for mental health in our community in general. For instance, this past spring, Pitt-Greensburg partnered with Mental Health America of Southwestern PA and WQED to host a free screening of a documentary related to social isolation and mental health. Members of the campus community meet regularly with County Behavioral Health executives as part of a steering committee to plan events and offer resources. Plus, members of the campus helped with the 2022 annual Suicide Awareness and Prevention Walk while others donated money for holiday gifts for patients at Torrance State Psychiatric Hospital and other county residents with severe mental illness.

Money Raised: Each year, Pitt-Greensburg’s student groups pick local, regional, and national charities to support through fundraising activities. Their projects are small but mighty, typically totaling $5,000 or more in actual funds raised, in addition to $4,000 or more donated in goods and gift cards that make their way to those in need. In particular, the JDRF One Walk on campus each September raises nearly $150,000 through the community involvement that supports Diabetes research. Other organizations that benefit from this support include Jeannette Head Start (Halloween activities and holiday party that includes gifts and $50 Giant Eagle gift card); Casa San Jose of Pittsburgh; Welcome Home Shelter (Greensburg); Pink Fund for Breast Cancer Research; Blackburn Center; Planned Parenthood; and the Aaron Slafka Memorial Scholarship. From washing fire trucks to staffing Overly’s Holiday Light Display, Pitt-Greensburg supports our community through community service and fundraising.  

Office Work: Local nonprofits often call on Pitt-Greensburg students to help with organization and maintenance projects. Students volunteered at Big Brothers/Big Sisters, ReStore warehouse, and the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library to perform these tasks. Additionally, a Free Little Library is stocked and managed on campus for use by students and the community.

Special Events: Helping nonprofits who help others is a favorite activity of our campus community. For more than 20 years, the Greensburg community has been coming to Pitt-Greensburg for the JDRF One Walk, which supports the mission of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Plus the campus hosts its own Relay for Life event that raises money for the American Cancer Society. Students also assisted with HEAL Animal Sanctuaries Flockotoberfest event, Redstone Highland’s Derby Dreaming event, and the Fall Fest event. Pitt-Greensburg student-athletes and SPSEA members plan and host a basketball exhibition game in Chambers Gymnasium for Special Olympics PA (SOPA) athletes, too.

Social Services: The Pitt-Greensburg community has a huge heart and that is evidenced by the many ways that they support others in need. When news of the East Palestine (OH) train derailment hit the news, students collected and donated bottled water for the victims. Annually, when moving out of the residence halls, students donate housewares, small furniture items, gently used clothing, and bedding that is then shared with organizations that distribute these resources to others. Make a donation to a local Salvation Army kettle, and you’ll often find a Bobcat ringing the bell. Plus, Pitt-Greensburg supports the Blackburn Center’s Walk A Mile in Her Shoes event in multiple ways—including posting flyers in the county and showing up with one of the biggest teams. From care packages for the Blackburn Center Shelter to bags, cards, and ornaments for cancer and hospice patients, Pitt-Greensburg students are helping those experiencing hardships.

Veterans Services: For 12 years, Victory Media’s Military Friendly designation has recognized Pitt-Greensburg’s on-campus support to military, veteran, and other military-affiliated students. Multiple campus activities support US military veterans in the greater-Greensburg community, too: a free luncheon is held annually on campus for veterans and their families during Veterans Week; collaboration with the Veterans Breakfast Club brings veterans to campus to share their stories; students collect socks and other items for donation to a veterans hospital; and campus volunteers help to pack Military Share food boxes for the Westmoreland Food Bank.