AMHERST, N.Y. -- With winter soon arriving, nearly two dozen Daemen College students pitched in to help several low-income Buffalo homeowners with weatherizing their houses for the cold season in the Black Rock-Riverside area.

For the community service project, Daemen students worked with skilled union tradespeople on home conservation and weatherization improvements, and helped to install carbon monoxide and smoke detectors in each home.  

“This project gives students the opportunity to connect with the local community and to help disadvantaged homeowners prepare for the winter by providing services that will lower their heating bills and make their homes safer for their families,” said Cheryl Bird, executive director of the Daemen Center for Sustainable Communities and Civic Engagement (CSCCE), who oversaw the student group.

Over the past 10 years, more than 400 homes in Buffalo have been weatherized in the community service project through Daemen CSCCE’s partnership with Western New York Apollo Alliance. This fall’s event was done in cooperation with the Black Rock-Riverside Neighborhood Housing Services and other area organizations, including the Painters and Allied Trades International Union, Cooperative Energy Solutions, DJ Lawn Maintenance, and the Workforce Development Institute.