In 2003, the Yale Westchester Alumni Association (YWAA) has begun to develop its participation in Yale University’s national program that provides interested Yale undergraduate students with opportunities to serve in community agencies during the summer recess. The students receive a small stipend from Yale that is funded by Yale alumni in each community served.

 In 2002, the YWAA Board of Directors voted to provide financial support for the services of Margaret Butterfield, a Yale junior from Massachusetts. Margaret was employed in the White Plains area, serving a summer camp program for severely handicapped and special children who found no success in regular summer camps. As required by the program, she was thoroughly interviewed to be certain of her match to the needs of the program, and then she was thoroughly supervised throughout her work with the program. While the YWAA community service program serves community agencies and its clients with bright, energetic and committed students, it also must meet the University’s expectations of an educational program that merits the time of a Yale student.

 In Margaret’s case, the opportunity changed her life. She was very effective with the children, and the agency soon gave her multiple responsibilities while being careful not to overload her. Margaret enjoyed it so much that to everyone’s surprise, the experience became a life shaping experience for Margaret. She abandoned earlier plans to pursue a career in research and decided to enter a social work track in order to gain professional qualifications for work similar to what she had experienced that summer. Even more amazing, Margaret applied for a permanent paid position in the same agency in White Plains while she was going through the process of selecting her graduate school program in the area. The agency was delighted, and she was swiftly hired. 

Impressed by these early results, Yale’s Westchester alumni decided to keep increasing the program as long as enough funds could be secured. A number of families responded to an inquiry letter by sending gifts that further encouraged the initiative. In the summer of 2003, two Summer Community Service Fellows from Yale were hired. Hye-Jin “Anna” Yoon from California worked in the same agency where Margaret had worked in White Plains, and Matthew Talvachia from Massachusetts worked in an agency in Mount Kisco that runs a comprehensive, multi faceted program of education and social services for Hispanic families in the area. Both of these students finished their work with distinction, receiving high praise from their agencies, and they returned to Yale for the fall semester. Each was thrilled with the opportunity. They learned a lot and got a great deal of satisfaction from effective service in truly helping people.