The tenth annual Mercy Service Day sent Carlow University students into the community to work at various non-profit organizations throughout Allegheny County.
| University Communications | For Immediate Release |
| Drew Wilson, Director, Media Relations | September 24, 2015 |
| 412.578.2095 (phone) | |
| 412.260.6807 (cell) | |
| 412.578.2080 (fax) | |
| agwilson@carlow.edu |
Tenth Annual Mercy Service Day Is an Opportunity for First Year Students to Learn About Service
Pittsburgh, Pa. – On Friday, September 25, Carlow University students will put down their books and laptops and pick up a paintbrush, or a rake, or whatever they are asked to do at any of 16 different non-profit organizations across Allegheny County.
This tenth annual event is called Mercy Service Day, and it is an opportunity for first year students to be introduced to Carlow’s Mercy Mission, the legacy that has been passed down to them through the Sisters of Mercy, the institution’s founders and sponsors.
More than 200 first year students working at 16 different sites will make up the bulk of the volunteers for Mercy Service Day. Carlow faculty, staff, upperclassmen, and a few alumni will swell the ranks to close to 300 for the day.
The volunteers will gather in the St. Agnes Center of Carlow University, located on Fifth Avenue between the intersections with Craft Avenue and Robinson Street. A short kick-off event is planned from 8 until 9 a.m., and then all volunteers will depart – most via PAT buses – to their respective locations where they will work from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., when they will return to campus.
The agencies and organizations where the Mercy Service Day volunteers will be working will be:
Blind and Vision Rehabilitation Services, CHS Community Food Pantry, Sojourner’s House, Bethlehem Haven, Computer Reach, Gwen’s Girls, Casa San Jose, The Corner, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Allegheny County, FOCUS Pittsburgh, Oakland Planning and Development Corporation, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Heritage Community Initiatives, ACH Clear Pathways, and Carlow’s Early Learning Center.
Mercy Service Day has been an annual activity at Carlow University for the past decade. It is always held during the third week of September to honor Carlow’s founding by the Sisters of Mercy in 1929. For the past several years, Mercy Service Day has been an integral part of Mercy Founder’s Fortnight, Carlow’s two week celebration of its heritage.
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Editor’s Note: Many of the sites that will be hosting Carlow students for Mercy Service Day would welcome the news media’s presence tomorrow, but others have more sensitivity to clients’ privacy. Please call Drew Wilson on his cell phone (412) 260-6807 to arrange which sites might be most receptive to hosting members of the news media.
About Carlow University
Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Carlow University was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1929. Offering both undergraduate and graduate programs, Carlow University is a comprehensive master’s institution dedicated to learner-centered education at the collegiate levels and at the elementary school level in the Campus School of Carlow University.