LENOX, MA - Caleb Gibson is a college student from Kentucky. He's spending the summer here in Berkshire County interning for a company in Pittsfield. But today, he and about forty other interns are working outside of the office.
"Basically, we're just trying to give back. We're working on the gazebo back there, staining chairs, and there's a lot of painting that's going on inside some of the residence halls," said volunteer Caleb Gibson.
They're volunteering at Hillcrest Education Center in Lenox, a special education school for kids with emotional and learning disabilities. Helping out here is a way to show that, even though most of these interns come from other parts of the country, they still care about the community.
It was Volunteer Day for a special education center in Berkshire County. And as Ryan Burgess tells us, a group of college interns showed up to hammer home the point that giving back is what matters most.
"We're just trying to give back to this place and show them that we appreciate what they're doing for this community as well," said Gibson.
"I'm from Pittsfield, so it's really important to me to give back to my local community and it's been very rewarding so far," said volunteer Meghan Negrini.
Giving back to the community is one of the most important lessons they teach at Hillcrest. Even though a lot of the students here come from troubled pasts, they say giving back may the best way to move on with their lives.
"One of the requirements that we have of our students is an empathy project, in which they have to give back or make reparations for any harm they may have done prior to coming to Hillcrest. Today's experience with Sabic is a perfect example of giving back to the community and how our students can help others," said Hillcrest program director Chris Smith.
It's a great way to help others, and at the same time, hammer home the point that it can also help yourself.