Recyling intern Lauren Barrett processes items for the Give It Up for Good Sale

A sale of furniture and household items donated by departing Gettysburg College students raised some $14,000 for the United Way of Adams County and prevented approximately 25 tons of goods from simply being discarded.

Hundreds attended the fifth annual Give It Up for Good Sale. The sale has raised nearly $60,000 for the United Way since its inception, as well as removing approximately 100 tons from the waste stream.

Attendance was roughly equal to last year's event, including 531 "early birds" who lined up outside the College's Bream-Wright-Hauser Athletic Complex and paid $5 to gain entry between 7 and 7:30 a.m. Hundreds more shopped until noon, finding bargains among rugs, furniture, refrigerators and many other items.

"The United Way of Adams County would not be able to achieve its mission without strong community partners like Gettysburg College," said United Way of Adams County's Vice President Vickie Corbett. "This project not only raises significant funds for critical health and human service programs, but has an unprecedented environmental impact in our community." It also provides needed items at very low cost to many low-income local residents, she said.

Some 200 volunteers provided about 800 hours of labor to prepare for and run May 24's event, said Corbett, who is also director of the Adams County Volunteer Center. Volunteers included Gettysburg College's two summer recycling interns, seniors Lauren  Barrett, an English major from Baltimore, and Chris Cole, an environmental studies major from Andover, Mass.
 
"It is a win for everyone," Gettysburg College's Director of Facilities Planning and Management Jim Biesecker said. "It also solidifies the College's commitment to helping the local United Way." That commitment also includes a large number of College employees who donate to the United Way through payroll deductions and other means.

The "Give It Up for Good" sale received the 2005, 2006 and 2007 Waste Watcher Award for Outstanding Recycling and Special Collection Efforts from the Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association and Keystone Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America. The organizations recognize outstanding recycling, waste education, reuse and composting programs from across the state. The College's program was selected for its commitment to reuse.

Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences. With approximately 2,600 students, it is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. The college was founded in 1832.

Posted June 4, 2008 

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