BY BRIANA SPINA
Contributing Writer
On Sunday, The Pine Hills Neighborhood Association brought the community together at its fourth annual Meet, Munch, and More event. It was held at Madison Park from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. with local food and organizations as well as inflatables and games.
Virginia Hammer, president of the Pine Hills Neighborhood Association, summarized the event as “a combination of fun and resources to learn about what student organizations and neighborhood organizations are doing.”
Several student groups from UAlbany came out to entertain and inform, including Driving Force, Neighborhood Life and Community Standards, two step teams, the UAlbany Capoeira, one sorority, the Student association, Middle Earth, and the Interfraternity Council. The Neighborhood Life organization’s goal is promote a positive living environment by integrating students with the community. The Interfraternity Council has a similar goal. They plan on embracing the service opportunities present within their own fraternities and getting their names out there to the neighborhood to create a friendly cohabitation.
UAlbany’s step dancing teams were a crowd favorite. Anita Asante, a senior at UAlbany and vice president of Precizun Step Team, says that her team has been coming to Meet, Munch, and More every year, and they hope that they can inspire kids to start dancing and join a team like theirs.
Delta Delta Sigma, a sorority at UAlbany, partnered with the Upstate Artists Guild to provide paint, coloring books, crayons, markers, and canvas to make artwork. The art created at the event is going to be displayed at local businesses as well as on vacant buildings. Jennifer Keane, a member of the sorority, was hosting the table and was thrilled to be “bringing the community together through art.” Karen Choens, a member of the UAG, said that this was a way to make art accessible and “to beautify the neighborhood.”
The UAG is also teaming up with Saint Rose art students to create a new mural for the Pine Hills Market.
The Albany Tulip Court was also promoting art in the form of face painting. The Court is elected annually and runs the Mayor’s literacy campaign in addition to serving the community. All of the members have graduated or are currently attending graduate school in the area. Member Kelly Phillips said that she takes pride in coming to this event.
“All children carry an invisible backpack of issues, so doing something as simple as face painting can brighten their month,” said Phillips.
The queen of the Court, Ashley Loggins, serves as the chair of the literacy campaign and organizer of their outreach activities. Loggins said that the Court “wants to show that Albany is a positive environment and to inspire others to make it an even better place.”
Other neighborhood organizations that came out to get involved included the Women’s Club of Albany, Albany Police Athletic League, Refugee and Immigrant Support Service of Emmaus, Paesan’s Pizza, National Guard, CDTA, Albany Police Department, and the Albany Fire and EMS Department.
The Police Department and the Police Athletic League were there to familiarize the community with law enforcement and give citizens resources and opportunities to ask questions. The Athletic League holds programs for people of all ages, but specifically kids and teens. Sabrina Burke, Youth Leadership Council Coordinator and summer camp director, said that the League wants to provide structured and safe environments, which the police volunteers help to make happen.
The Fire and EMS Department also promoted safety, offering glucose screening, blood pressure readings, drug pamphlets, and advice about smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Captain Kimberly Ciprioni wants people to understand the importance of checking the alarms regularly.
“Even if ten people go home and check today, those are ten lives we potentially just saved,” said Ciprioni.
In regards to the epidemic of drug and underage drinking cases she and her colleagues received, she advises students to “stay with somebody and make a pact to go home together no matter what.” Ciprioni said she cares deeply about the youth of Albany and does not want to see any of them in the back of her ambulance.
Staff Sgt. Curtis, Sgt. First Class Leslie, and CPO Cook of the National Guard brought their rock wall for people to try out, but this is not the wall they use for training.
“It’s a strictly fun wall,” said Curtis. He and his guardsmen are all locals, and they love getting the chance to interact with the citizens.
Among the residents who attended the event was an assistant professor of marketing at Saint Rose, Dr. Sadia Khan, and her family. She found out about the event through Dennis McDonald’s “The Weekender” email, and had a great time getting her young daughter to play with the neighborhood kids.
Some older residents were likewise excited about the event. Paul Hacker, the president of the Albany Public Library, has lived in the area his entire life and consistently gets involved in community events. Frank Valentine, on the other hand, has only lived in Albany for about five years and has never attended an event like this. He thoroughly enjoyed himself and plans to come out more often. The best part, in his opinion, was that it was a safe environment with “no fighting, no drinking” and that it was a fun place for everyone.
“We have a community- driven agenda,” said Carolyn Keefe, resident for over twenty years and the coordinator of the Pine Hills Improvement Group. “This is a way to bring people together.”
Keefe and her team, with the help of the community organizations, have organized this event for the past four years and are passionate about continuing this tradition.
As UAlbany Student Association president Roselynn Frempong said, “We all share one thing: the community. And we should give back everything we take.”
