On Monday, Aug. 29, Arcadia University’s Class of 2015 and new transfer students, joined by Arcadia faculty and staff, will put more than 1,000 hours of sweat equity into community projects in Glenside and Philadelphia as part of Community Service Day, an Arcadia tradition that began in 1991. About 600 new students are expected to participate.

“We are educating our community’s leaders,” said Arcadia University President Carl (Tobey) Oxholm III. “From the very start of their four years here, we want them to know that they are personally responsible for the quality of life in their communities. Glenside is our home, and we will be active contributors to it.”

One of the local service projects, the Glenside Decorative Paver and Sand Project, takes place in downtown Glenside at 9 a.m. to noon.  Arcadia students will join forces with the Downtown Glenside Community Partnership to fine-tune some of the improvements in Cheltenham Township’s Streetscape Enhancements in Glenside by replenishing the sand surrounding decorative pavers in the district to secure them in place and inhibit weeds, according to Nancy Gibson,  Cheltenham Township Public Information Officer.

Part of the township’s economic development strategy, the nearly completed streetscape enhancements on Easton Road include decorative pavers, elegant streetlights, embossed crosswalks, new traffic lights, granite curbs, stamped concrete sidewalks, attractive refuse and recycling containers, pedestrian benches and traffic calming devices that extend from Glenside Train Station to Arcadia University. More than $3 million in state and county grants provided most of the funding for the enhancements, Gibson added.  This project follows Arcadia’s lead in creating the new, green welcome to Glenside where Easton, Limekiln, and Church roads meet.

In another project, Dottie Baumgarten, an Environmental Education Consultant with Sustainable Choices and a Philadelphia Water Department Tour Guide, will help Arcadia students understand “What is a watershed?”  She will discuss how watersheds work and the effect that life on Arcadia’s campus has on the Tookany Creek Watershed. If the land is polluted, the rain will wash that pollution to the creek. She will discuss how watersheds work and the effect that life on Arcadia’s campus has on the Tookany Creek Watershed. If the land is polluted, the rain will wash that pollution to the creek. She will help students understand why they should keep trash and pollution out of the storm drains, pick up trash, pick up dog waste and properly dispose of cigarrette butts. Immediately following the lecture, students will put action to the words, being transported to various locations for roadside cleanup for at least two hours.

Other “Arcadia Cares” Community Service projects for the day of service include

From helping senior citizens in nursing homes and working in food banks to beautifying the grounds at various locations and working with children, Arcadia students join together to contribute to the community around them.