Organized by Arcadia’s Community and Civic Engagement Center (CCEC), Day of Service—a tradition designed to introduce new students to the University’s values and service initiatives—led first-years and transfers to 24 locations in Philadelphia, Montgomery, and Bucks counties on Monday, Aug. 26. 

This year, volunteers sorted donations at Mitzvah Circle Foundation, The Baby Bureau, and Habitat for Humanity; worked in the kitchens at MANNA and Face to Face; assisted residents at Inglis House, Wyncote Place Memory Care Community, and Rydal Park; and lent a hand at CCEC and Arcadia’s Office of Institutional Diversity. 

Those with green thumbs took on gardening and maintenance tasks at Riverfront North Partnership, New Life Nursery School, Friends of High School Park, Northeast NORC, Carson Valley Children’s Aid, Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, Cheltenham Center For The Arts, Pegasus Therapeutic Riding Academy, Christ’s Home, Care (Aid) For Friends, and Schuylkill Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. 

Other locations included Art Sphere Incorporated, a creative nonprofit for low-income youth; the U School, an institution designed to change college and career outcomes for Philadelphia students; and Salfid Dog Rescue, at which students exercised with adoptable canines.

“Today was great—I got to play with dogs,” said Biology major Canon Rosas ’23. “But it’s important work. They need attention, and they don’t always have someone to give them that.”

A first venture into the community for many, Day of Service also provides volunteers the opportunity to explore the area, connect with classmates, and recognize how social impact aligns with their Arcadia experience. 

“I love getting to see behind the scenes at organizations like these,” said Erin Dunechy ’23, a Biology major and Mitzvah volunteer. “It’s important to recognize that not everyone has what many of us do.”