Big turnout for Cesar Chavez Day community work
They washed fire engines, cleaned up along city streets, and talked to elementary school students about Chavez.
Chico State was closed today in observance of Cesar Chavez Day, which is Saturday.
In connection with Cesar Chavez Day, a number of events were held on campus this week, including a film showing, discussions and lectures, as well as Friday’s community work, which was sponsored by the Associated Students.
Today there was a bigger turnout of students than last year when a similar event was held, said Elyse Gutowski, AS executive vice president.
Students gathered on campus in the morning and received work assignments. The work was to be done between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., although not all students worked four full hours.
Gutowski said there were 10 places where students could work, including St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Bidwell Presbyterian Church, the Jesus Center and Studio One, which promotes dancing.
"We’re doing our part to help them where they may not have as much help as usual," she said. "We’re helping where services are needed."
She worked at the Jesus Center last year, she said. "We helped clean up around the parking lot and the kitchen."
Some students today washed fire engines at Fire Station No. 1, at West Ninth and Salem streets.
Two students said they volunteered to talk to elementary school students about Chavez.
Maritza Galvez, a junior from Mecca (near Palm Springs), and Viviana Rodriguez, a freshman from Willows, visited McManus School in the morning and planned to make a presentation at Rosedale School in the afternoon.
"We wanted to tell the students what Cesar Chavez was all about," said Rodriguez.
"We told them that he fought for the rights of the farm workers — for better wages and working conditions," Galvez said.
The two women displayed a United Farm Workers banner and explained what its colors and eagle symbol represent.
Red stands for the blood shed during the union’s campaign and for the suffering of farm workers harmed by pesticides and other unsafe conditions, they said. White stands for peace and freedom, and the eagle "represents all the farm workers’ strength to fight for all their rights," Rodriguez said.
Chavez was a farm worker who co-founded an association that became the United Farm Workers union. He was born March 31, 1927, and died in 1993.
California has observed Cesar Chavez Day since 1995. It is also observed in Colorado and Texas.
Gutowski said a number of fraternities, sororities and other student organizations participated as groups in today’s work sessions.
While she was pleased by the turnout, she didn’t seem surprised. "I feel that the Chico State campus is very service oriented," she said. "It comes naturally to our students."