Eric Drummond

Position »

Coordinator, Community Service Center

Reason for Nomination »

Recently promoted to Assistant Director for the RIT Leadership Institute, she spends countless hours outside of the regular work day facilitating service and creating a ripple of caring across campus.

What got you involved in community service?
Well, it was my children, really. My son was a Boy Scout, and they needed a treasurer. So I became the treasurer for the Boy Scouts. Then the PTA needed parents to help support the PTA, so once my children got older and were in elementary school, I was very active in the PTA. So that’s really where it started for me — my kids, volunteering with their school, and being a parent supporter.

What kind of things does your job here at RIT entail?
Well, I coordinate several large college events like the Heart Walk that we just did last month. This is the big American Heart Association Heart Walk. I am the team captain for the university, and I try to recruit different departments, the Greeks, and other clubs. I do that once a year for fundraising.

We also do a leadership-mentoring program with high schools and middle schools where we take RIT students to the community, and do a once-a-month event with middle school children to have them exposed to our college students. This gives them a little flavor of the idea that it’s not impossible to get to college. A lot of these children don’t have anyone to encourage them and support them for college.

We do one-time events, walks, work with the National Red Cross, and make cards for veterans. We do whatever it is that students want to do if it’s their passion. If they don’t know what they want to do, I try to steer them towards something that they might enjoy. The best way to get people involved in the community is to find something that they are passionate about.

My role is to meet with students or groups to find out what they really like. If you don’t have fun then it’s a waste of your time and a waste of the agency’s time. So I assess the needs of the student and the agency to make sure we find a good match. I am always out there trying to get the word out and to get students involved. I think it’s really critical for everyone to be civic-oriented and to give back something — even if it’s one hour — to society. I’ve been doing this for a long time so I try to pass it on to students as I meet them. Usually, once I get students going, they say it’s not that bad.

Do you ever have people come back and say “Thank you” for everything you’ve done?
I’ve had students who’ve gone out for interviews, and once they’ve talked to their prospective boss...they find that someone who is committed not only to work, but is committed to giving back to the community as well...that is exactly what companies are looking for. Students don’t realize when they’re doing service how big of a deal it will be for their jobs. A well-rounded person is more what companies are looking for.

What are the most rewarding aspects of your job?
Working with students, making a difference in someone else’s life, making sure that our students and staff and myself give back to the community for a cause, making cards for veterans in the hospital, and doing holiday Thanksgiving baskets every year. The baskets are fun since it is a little competition between all of us in the office. People get really into it.

If you could say any one thing to a student here at RIT to try and get them involved in volunteering, what would you say?
I would say that you would get more out of it than you’re going to give. You’re going to end up making lots of friends, and it’s going to make a difference in your life by giving up your time. It’s an experience that will stay with you forever. Once you start, it’s like a virus. You start giving and you see the impact that you have on other people with the smallest things, and then you realize there’s no way you can just close that door again.

Anything else you’d like to say to RIT?
Everyone could give and everyone could serve. Everyone could give a little time to make sure that the less fortunate get taken care of. If we all just give one hour a month or two hours a quarter to give back to something, we could make a huge difference. People don’t realize how one person can have such a big impact.