'Town Pride Town Wide' beautifies Willimantic

Eastern students volunteered throughout Willimantic for the Center for Community Engagement's annual Town Pride Town Wide event on April 27. Dozens of students performed a variety of tasks at 12 sites across town.

Students served at sites including Grow Windham Community Garden, Willimantic Area Interfaith Ministry, High Street, the Willimantic River Trail, the Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum, the Garden on the Bridge, the Windham Textile and History Museum, Abundant Life Community Church, Thread City Diner, Willimantic Brewing Company, Covenant Soup Kitchen, and Horizons children’s camp. 

According to Lexie Mastroianni, community engagement coordinator for the CCE, 45 students came out for the event. 

CCE Student Leader Giavanna Marmo and her team of student volunteers supported the Windham Textile and History Museum with activities including dusting, cleaning, and gardening.  

“This site is special because it is all about the history of Willimantic,” explained Marmo. “It connects the students to the local Willimantic community and the other volunteers at the site.”  

CCE Student Leader Nariyah Mazyck-Alegria went to the Garden at the Bridge on Main Street. She and her eight student volunteers helped out with gardening and beautification projects. “This was a big group, but everyone was ready to work,” she said. 

Hailey Frantz ’28 was a volunteer at the Garden on the Bridge and supported the organization by cleaning up and fertilizing. “It was so much fun,” said Frantz. “Volunteering makes me feel like I have importance by serving a community that is not just the Eastern campus.”  

CCE Student Leader Cecilia Meléndez Pérez helped the Covenant Soup Kitchen, where she is a regular volunteer. Meléndez Pérez and her team of four students worked in various activities ranging from restocking, cooking, prepping lunch plates to go, and cleaning. 

“I enjoy serving the Covenant Soup Kitchen because they provide meals and open their doors for everyone,” she said. “It’s an important pillar for the community.”