Pictured above are students from Cassadaga Job Corps working alongside residents of Lily Dale

Cassadaga NY – Job Corps focuses on providing students hands on experience and training that will help them prepare for their careers and life.  An important component of that training is giving students the chance to make the community in which they are residing a better place, and they did just that during Global Youth Service week and Earth Week.   Many students from the Cassadaga Job Corps Academy spent the week of April 16th participating in service learning projects throughout the County, in all providing over 60 volunteers and 300 man hours to help improve the place they live and train.  Many of the projects included a “green” component, to also honor Earth Day.  These projects occurred in conjunction with specialized lesson plans taught by the teachers in the school to discuss environmental issues and green living. 

On Monday and Tuesday students from the Home Builders Institute Carpentry and Plumbing class worked alongside residents of Lily Dale to make improvements to the Lily Dale playground to enhance the appearance and safety of the area for families who utilize the play space.  In the coming weeks the Home Builder’s Institute Painting class will add some fresh paint to some of the pieces of equipment to complete the facelift.  Willa White,  wood chip replacement project coordinator stated that “”It was a great partnership between Job Corps and Lily Dale.  Our community volunteers worked side by side with the Job Corps students volunteers, and as we shoveled dirt and hauled woodchips, we had great conversations.  We truly enjoyed working with the Job Corps student volunteers.  They were hard-working and friendly, and we couldn’t have completed the woodchip replacement project without them.” 

Pictured above is Dunkirk Mayor Anthony Dolce with Ms. Abigail Gray and students from CJCA

Wednesday and Thursday brought volunteers to the City of Dunkirk to help provide clean up and needed work there.  Students from Mr. Joe Jagoda, Ms. Abigail Gray and Mrs. Jenna Roberge-Karns classes assisted with cleaning up areas in the City, Wright Park and Point Gratiot.  Students picked up litter, hauled out large bulky limbs and debris as well as raked and cleared pathways. 

On Friday students assisted the County Health Department with the DASH for Diabetes Prevention.  Bi-Lingual students from the Academy put their unique skill to use helping to translate at the various locations where scavenger hunters stopped to pick up clues. “The DASH provided our students with a great chance to practice important employability skills and work alongside professionals from several businesses and agencies.  The students enjoyed the event and  

came back with a great experience”, reported Cassadaga Job Corps Academy Business and Community Liaison Adam Dolce.  To wrap up the busy week students will be volunteering at the Audubon Center in Jamestown on Saturday to take part in the Together Green Volunteer Day.  

The Cassadaga Job Corps Academy provides Career Technical training to youth age 16-24 as well as education to obtain a high school diploma or GED.  Home Builders Institute is the 501(c) 3 affiliate of the National Association of Home Builders that provides training, mentoring, curriculum development and job placement services in support of the housing industry, and provides the construction training at the Cassadaga Job Corps Academy.  For more information about Cassadaga Job Corps please visit http://cassadaga.jobcorps.gov, or call Business and Community Liaison Adam Dolce at 716-595-4237.

For additional information on Cassadaga Job Corps Academy’s involvement in our community check out the Dunkirk Observer’s coverage on the Lily Dale playgorund project, a summary of our GYSD projects and a picture of our work crew in the City of Dunkirk!