College Gives Staff Paid Time to Volunteer in Rome NY

When your boss tells you to leave work and go play with shelter dogs, you're having a pretty good day.

That's exactly what happened to 15 Mohawk Valley Community College employees this week. The college gave its faculty and staff paid time off to volunteer at local nonprofits during their fourth annual Days of Service outreach.

David Marlenga, who works in MVCC's business office, chose the Humane Society of Rome. "They don't have a voice of their own, and can use all the help they can get," he said while stuffing Kong balls with treats for shelter dogs.

The volunteers tackled indoor projects after weather changed their outdoor plans. They brought donations and spent the morning helping Shelter Manager Robin Genovese-Kaminski and her team care for animals waiting for homes.

"They are just so joyful and so giving," Genovese-Kaminski said. "I'm so glad they are here."

Other MVCC teams fanned out across the region to help Feed Our Vets, the Thea Bowman House, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, and Olmsted City of Greater Utica. Each employee chose the organization that mattered most to them.

The Ripple Effect

This isn't random charity. It's an institution recognizing that it exists because of its community and giving back in the most valuable currency: time and energy.

MVCC President Randall VanWagoner framed it perfectly: "Volunteering through our Days of Service is how we turn gratitude into action at MVCC." The college serves as an economic engine for the Mohawk Valley, but leaders understand their responsibility goes beyond classrooms and job training.

When employers give people permission and time to serve, everyone wins. The nonprofits get desperately needed help. The volunteers connect with their community in meaningful ways. And the workplace culture shifts toward something bigger than profit margins and productivity metrics.

Sharon Zohne, who led the humane society team, knows the shelter's impact firsthand. "I know what they do here, and how wonderful they are for the community," she said.

Around 15 people spent one workday making a difference, and that difference will ripple outward through every animal they helped, every veteran they fed, every child who gets a bed to sleep in.