Springfield college recognized for community service work

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - The city of Springfield recognized the St. John's College of Nursing for their work in the community today.

There is an "Adopt a Street" sign on a light post on Ninth Street that recognizes the school. It celebrates a group of students that have spent hours cleaning litter on North Ninth Street between East Madison Street and North Grand Avenue.

That section of Ninth street starts on the St. John's campus and spans several blocks beyond school property. Chancellor Charlene Aaron says volunteer work like picking up litter encourage students to widen their idea of healthcare.

"Healthy bodies is what we're all about, so whether it's outside or inside other environments, the cleanliness of the environment contributes to the health of our bodies," said Aaron. "That's what we are instilling in our nursing students."

About a dozen students gathered on campus to pick up trash bags, gloves, and trash pickers. They say cleaning the community connects to their role as healthcare workers.

Jalynne Brewer is a senior at St. Johns College. She says she is always surprised by the amount of trash the group finds.

"We're trying to help our community, we want to make sure that our community is clean," said Brewer. "We're all about health and you know, a lot of this litter and stuff, we want to make sure that everything is clean."

Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder joined the group at the new sign to celebrate the work they have done. He says the volunteers are a good example of the impact St. John's has in the community.

"We really appreciate the students and St. John's faculty to make this commitment to beautifying our town," said Langfelder. "It's just not what happens inside buildings, but what happens outside the buildings and most importantly, how each of us can help each other to improve our city."