Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan visited Siena College’s Office of Academic Community Engagement for the annual Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service. During the event, which is spearheaded by the Corporation for National and Community Service, mayors and county executives from across the country recognize the positive impact national service is having on their communities.
“This gives an opportunity for Mayor Sheehan to really become more intimate with our programs,” said Yalitza Negron ’08, associate director of Academic Community Engagement, adding that it also allows the students and ACE administrators to learn more about her priorities so that better collaboration can happen.
Along with ACE leaders, including Negron and ACE Director Mathew Johnson’93, Ph.D., Sheehan met with Bonner Service Leaders, AmeriCorps Vista Fellows, community partners, faculty and College President Br. F. Edward Coughlin, O.F.M., Ph.D. She was pleased to hear about the Siena community’s efforts to help Albany’s youth and not-for-profit organizations.
“They’re getting a valuable experience for themselves and their careers, and the City (of Albany) is benefitting because our young people really are being impacted by some of these programs,” Sheehan said. “This is about collective impact. How do we work together, align what we’re doing so that we truly change outcomes for our most underserved communities.”
Sheehan hopes to advance the effort by sharing data, holding up successful programs and allocating resources where there is the greatest need.
“It is nice that the mayor is supporting all the different efforts to help the poor and marginalized,” said Siena Coughlin. “Support of the city and the mayor is critical to making a difference on a regional level.”
Psychology major and Bonner Service Leader Kelly Finn ’16 shared with Sheehan the growth of Girl Scouts in the Cities of Albany and Troy. Finn and about 25 Siena College volunteers work with nearly 100 Girl Scouts, meeting with them each week and running special events, such as camping trips. For Finn, being able to speak in depth with Mayor Sheehan was an amazing experience.
“Since she’s become mayor, we just have huge support here for all of the programs that we run,” Finn said. “I feel like she’s a great resource for us in terms of moving our programs forward and having the city’s support behind everything that ACE and Siena does.”
