Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Women’s Track & Field/XC Participates In Operation Rebuild Trenton
October 07, 2021 | Women's Cross Country, Women's Track and Field
TRENTON, N.J. – The Princeton University women's track & field/cross country team continued its commitment to living the motto "In the Nation's Service and the Service of Humanity" as it participated in Operation Rebuild Trenton last weekend.
Operation Rebuild Trenton involved a community clean-up and food distribution in the South Ward of Trenton. Sophomore Sydney Hwang reflected on the day and on some of the tasks the Tigers completed as part of the initiative.
"When we first got to the spot in Trenton, we started off by cleaning the area and picking up trash at the site of their future community garden," said sophomore Sydney Hwang. "We then split up into groups and went to different locations within the neighborhood. The group I was in was working in this one spot that had a literal mountain of garbage wedged in a small alley between two buildings. We started loading garbage bins upon garbage bins full of trash into a garbage collecting truck parked right next to us. Slowly but surely we made our way through and did our best to clean up this one small spot.
I think the thing that strikes me the most was how positive everyone was. With some of the terrible sights and smells that were there, the other volunteers were cracking jokes and lifting heavy things with smiles on their faces. Some of the other groups did similar jobs—cleaning up garbage off of streets that were lined with needles and glass. There was a group that helped with food distribution. They were giving out produce, canned goods, and other necessities to the residents in the neighborhood. I'm not sure how much of a help I was as one individual, but this experience definitely showed me how a group of people can come together from various walks of life and make a difference."
Head Coach Michelle Eisenreich has been instrumental with the Tigers' involvement with the Smith Family Foundation, and emphasized why it is important the program continues to be involved with the Smith Family Foundation and work to make a difference in the community.
"The Smith Family Foundation is a phenomenal organization based in the Trenton Community," said Eisenreich. "While they support many of their own initiatives like their scholarship fund and tutoring they also serve as a hub for other nonprofits in Trenton. Operation Rebuild Trenton pull together people from at least a half dozen organization to provide the man power to clean up parts of the South Ward. I'm not sure we would have heard of this event if the Smith Family Foundation had not reached out to us. Through their own initiatives and coordinating the efforts of several other nonprofits, the Smith Family Foundation is making a real impact on the everyday lives of Trenton residence. On our team, we talk about the importance of ownership if we are to be successful. SSF and the other groups it works with embodies ownership of their neighborhoods and the success of their community. We continue our partnership with SFF because it's important that our students understand ownership doesn't stop on the track and we all must take responsibility for making our communities better for everyone."
Founded in 2016, the Smith Family Foundation's mission is to "empower our community, cultivate leaders and transform lives by providing funding and Transformative Leadership Development to Trenton based organizations." It is committed to supporting the nonprofit community in the city of Trenton, particularly grass root organizations, and they support in countless ways.
With its "Forever Forward" grant, they have funded and partnered with Trenton nonprofits Homeworks, Help Self, and Howard's Healthy Choices to coach them in leadership and board development over three years.
The Smith Family Foundation is out front promoting higher education as the "Normal Next Step!" for Trenton students. As part of this campaign, it provides the Legacy Scholarship which provides $40,000 over a four-year period for a graduating Trenton Central High School student and give care packages to high school grads heading off to college, in some cases including laptops and checks for books.
The foundation also given extensive financial support to local causes and nonprofits - in 2020 alone – to the City of Trenton Homeless Program, the NJ Pandemic Relief Fund, Children's Home Society, Trenton Circus Squad, UrbanPromise, Trenton Music Makers and many more.
Operation Rebuild Trenton involved a community clean-up and food distribution in the South Ward of Trenton. Sophomore Sydney Hwang reflected on the day and on some of the tasks the Tigers completed as part of the initiative.
"When we first got to the spot in Trenton, we started off by cleaning the area and picking up trash at the site of their future community garden," said sophomore Sydney Hwang. "We then split up into groups and went to different locations within the neighborhood. The group I was in was working in this one spot that had a literal mountain of garbage wedged in a small alley between two buildings. We started loading garbage bins upon garbage bins full of trash into a garbage collecting truck parked right next to us. Slowly but surely we made our way through and did our best to clean up this one small spot.
I think the thing that strikes me the most was how positive everyone was. With some of the terrible sights and smells that were there, the other volunteers were cracking jokes and lifting heavy things with smiles on their faces. Some of the other groups did similar jobs—cleaning up garbage off of streets that were lined with needles and glass. There was a group that helped with food distribution. They were giving out produce, canned goods, and other necessities to the residents in the neighborhood. I'm not sure how much of a help I was as one individual, but this experience definitely showed me how a group of people can come together from various walks of life and make a difference."
Head Coach Michelle Eisenreich has been instrumental with the Tigers' involvement with the Smith Family Foundation, and emphasized why it is important the program continues to be involved with the Smith Family Foundation and work to make a difference in the community.
"The Smith Family Foundation is a phenomenal organization based in the Trenton Community," said Eisenreich. "While they support many of their own initiatives like their scholarship fund and tutoring they also serve as a hub for other nonprofits in Trenton. Operation Rebuild Trenton pull together people from at least a half dozen organization to provide the man power to clean up parts of the South Ward. I'm not sure we would have heard of this event if the Smith Family Foundation had not reached out to us. Through their own initiatives and coordinating the efforts of several other nonprofits, the Smith Family Foundation is making a real impact on the everyday lives of Trenton residence. On our team, we talk about the importance of ownership if we are to be successful. SSF and the other groups it works with embodies ownership of their neighborhoods and the success of their community. We continue our partnership with SFF because it's important that our students understand ownership doesn't stop on the track and we all must take responsibility for making our communities better for everyone."
Founded in 2016, the Smith Family Foundation's mission is to "empower our community, cultivate leaders and transform lives by providing funding and Transformative Leadership Development to Trenton based organizations." It is committed to supporting the nonprofit community in the city of Trenton, particularly grass root organizations, and they support in countless ways.
With its "Forever Forward" grant, they have funded and partnered with Trenton nonprofits Homeworks, Help Self, and Howard's Healthy Choices to coach them in leadership and board development over three years.
The Smith Family Foundation is out front promoting higher education as the "Normal Next Step!" for Trenton students. As part of this campaign, it provides the Legacy Scholarship which provides $40,000 over a four-year period for a graduating Trenton Central High School student and give care packages to high school grads heading off to college, in some cases including laptops and checks for books.
The foundation also given extensive financial support to local causes and nonprofits - in 2020 alone – to the City of Trenton Homeless Program, the NJ Pandemic Relief Fund, Children's Home Society, Trenton Circus Squad, UrbanPromise, Trenton Music Makers and many more.
Players Mentioned
Distance
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