How it all began
MOVE follows a tradition of community service that began with Fire and Rescue, Crown & Sword and the Office of Volunteer Programs. MOVE was founded in the spring of 1988. The structure was developed after a beneficial visit from Wayne Meisel, the former Director of COOL (Campus Outreach Opportunity League). A Harvard graduate concerned about the "supposed apathy" of the "twenty-something" generation, Wayne contended that most college and university students were only too willing to be of service: they simply needed the ways and means to get involved. He visited our campus, spoke about different aspects of a community service program and challenged us to make our own. From his visit we were able to get the start we needed. Fr. Michael Cronogue, SSE, the “Founder of MOVE”, wrote an Action Grant through The Federal Domestic Volunteer Agency to help with the necessary funding for MOVE to get started.
MOVE is based on the mission of Saint Michael's College keeping in mind the Gospel’s message of service:
The mission of Saint Michael's College is to contribute to the development of human culture and enhancement of the human person in the light of the Catholic faith. Saint Michael's College strives to be an academic community that promotes the pursuit of truth, the development of virtue and high levels of excellence in all its academic, social and religious programs with a view to bettering the human condition. Saint Michael's College shall endeavor to conduct its various programs in accordance with policies that are consistent with the principles of the Catholic faith, especially those of truth, justice and charity, and to promote these principles, in fulfillment of its mission, throughout the world.
Community service, career preparation and leadership have been implicit in the mission of Saint Michael's College from the very beginning. Service to the poor is part of the heritage and practice of the Society of Saint Edmund, the founders of the College. During college, many Saint Mike's undergraduates are actively involved in some form of community service throughout the Greater Burlington area. MOVE offers diverse programs that involve a variety of time commitments: whether you're a new student interested in volunteering weekly for the next four years or a second-semester-half-crazed senior feeling like you only have an hour left, we have some service for you!
MOVE also provides opportunities for students to do community service work during academic recesses (Christmas and Spring Break) and summer break through the Extended Service Corps at both domestic and international sites. Staff, faculty, and alumni are also encouraged to participate in both ongoing and extended service programs.
Presently, many students, alumni, faculty, and staff members from the college community participate in MOVE’s service opportunities.
Past Directors
Julie Cronin was chosen as the first student coordinator for MOVE in 1987. An open meeting for people interested in leading service activities was held and a few more people were individually recruited to fill in open spaces. Since then student leadership has become the primary facilitator of programming at MOVE, with 56 student coordinators organizing programs and volunteers.
In June of 1988, Brian Donahue, a May 1988 graduate of Saint Michael's College, became the full time Director of Community Service/MOVE. He fostered an issue-based, comprehensive program and encouraged strong student leadership. In the first year under his direction MOVE mobilized the efforts of 429 servers and Saint Michael's was named as the first college in the country to be a recipient of President George Bush's Daily Point of Light award.
Neila Anderson-Decelles, also a 1988 graduate of Saint Michael's College, became the second full-time Director of Community Service/MOVE. Through her leadership MOVE expanded to involve alumni, faculty, staff and special programs for the Extended Service Program and international students. The volunteer base grew and continued to extend its affiliations locally and nationally.
Steve Garbarino served as the Assistant to the Director for twelve years, from 1992-2004, providing essential leadership and support. Ann Giombetti became the full-time director from 1993-2005 and together, their guidance provided direction that enabled the MOVE office to grow exponentially - from 12 programs to more that 25, with more than 50 active student leaders. During their tenure, MOVE also helped to support an increase of international service opportunities, working with Robert Fleming and Robert Lair as MOVE Associates for 2003-04, while continuing to expand volunteer opportunities locally and domestically. Heidi St. Peter began as assistant director in January 2005, and became director in July 2005. Currently, Jason Moore serves as the assistant director.
Today
Today, MOVE is a broad-based community service organization of the Office of Edmundite Campus Ministry at Saint Michael's College, which strives to instill in each member of the community a sense of service to others. Our goal is to channel the talents, creativity, and the energy of the Saint Michael's community into innovative and effective service programs that will enrich the Chittenden County community. We're a broad based service program dedicated to two primary goals:
1) Developing awareness of global needs for service to people in need, and subsequently creating and implementing programs that meet local needs directly and effectively; and
2) Forging relationships that bring together volunteers and those in need as equals, thereby eliminating the stereotypes of abstract categories such as "homeless," "illiterate," "marginalized," "youth at risk" and "refugee."