Joliet Junior College staff put community service into action

Joliet Junior College president Clyne Namuo said “successful community colleges are deeply embedded in the communities they serve.”

So on Wednesday, about 95 Joliet Junior College employees helped out with various tasks at four Joliet nonprofits: the Boys and Girls Club, the Greater Joliet YMCA, the Spanish Community Center and Will County Habitat for Humanity.

The purpose of this afternoon of service was to forge deeper connections in the community, Namuo said.

“It’s clear to me that JJC holds a special place in and around the seven counties and in the communities that we touch,” Namuo said. “So I thought it would be a great initiative to encourage our employees and provide them with the opportunity to serve quality, community-based organizations.”

Amanda Quinn, assistant director of the Joliet Junior College Foundation, said was part of a team that “transformed the look and feel” of the Spanish Community Center’s daycare in just a few hours, she said. Quinn herself painted the entry doors, which went from salmon to a bright blue.

“I am so happy to see servant leadership in action at JJC,” Quinn said in an email. “We came together with our peers to make a positive change. So many of us talked about how great it felt to give back and engage with others within our organization, all while serving our community.”

Sylvia Acosta Chávez, executive director of the Spanish Community Center, said in an email said 22 JJC volunteers completed projects in the center’s early care and education program and also in the community library.

“Instead of looking inward at JJC, we looked outward in the community to see how we can help in a new way. It just energized all the employees and they got really excited.”

—  Robin Ballard, director of marketing and creative services at Joliet Junior College

In early care and education, volunteers painted an accent wall in the office, cabinets and doors in the office and hallways, and three walls in the gym in preparation for a mural. They also sorted and organized books by genre, language and reading levels in the library and rearranged shelves.

“Our team was truly touched by the enthusiasm of JJC’s staff to support our organization beyond the designated projects,” Chavez said in the email. “I was approached by many who are eager to volunteer in our food pantry and adult education classes along with their friends and children.”

Volunteering good for employee engagement

Ken Santiago, dean, applied arts, workforce education & training at JJC , volunteered at the Joliet ReStore. Santiago helped sort and organize miscellaneous construction items, such as screws, cabinet knobs, along with hundreds of construction gloves in various sizes, colors and textures.

[ Habitat ReStore celebrates 5 years at current location ]

“It was really a mess when we got there through no fault of their own,” Santiago said. “They really didn’t have the resources on hand to get that to happen.”

Santiago said customers will now easily find the items they need. He also enjoyed working together as a unit with his co-workers to help others.

“I think it’s a great idea for an institution like ours to be able to collaborate a little bit more,” he said.

Cheryl Toohey, community outreach coordinator for Will County Habitat for Humanity, said other JJC teams, which included Namuo, even assembled television consoles. Volunteers also worked on trim, doors and cabinets at the Black Road construction site.

“Volunteers are essential to the success of our organization,” Toohey said. “We just truly value every volunteer and I hope they know how important the work that they do is.”

Robin Ballard, director of marketing and creative services at Joliet Junior College, said 25 JJC staff headed to the Galowich Family YMCA to help clean up after a “busy summer full of summer camps,” she said. Ballard led a team of eight and projects included pulling weeds, power washing picnic tables, sanitizing the toys and organizing the sports equipment and the game room.

“It was just neat to see everybody working on a project that had nothing to do with them but had to do with a great organization that’s so supportive of JJC,” Ballard said.

Ballard said the afternoon of community service “was a great way for us to kick off a new school year.”

“Instead of looking inward at JJC, we looked outward in the community to see how we can help in a new way,” Ballard said. “It just energized all the employees and they got really excited.”

Community connections

Granted, the idea of corporate community service isn’t new. But when community colleges volunteer in their communities, the communities and the college become more invested in each other, Namuo said. And the college learns about the needs of the community and is able “to shine a light” on programs the college offers, he said.

“Community colleges that are deeply embedded are more strategic and successful because they’re able to leverage resources when times get tough,” Namuo said.

Namuo said JJC employees do already serve on the board of directors of local organizations or volunteer in other ways. So Wednesday’s afternoon of service was another way to “solidify partnerships,” he said.

“And provide greater service to them,” Namuo said.