Arcadia University is continuing to expand its global service efforts with the addition of San Pedro, Belize as a service location.

Through a $25,000 grant from Arcadia University, the College of Health Sciences and the School of Education have provided care to the general community since Aug. 6, with a focus on improving the lives of the physically disabled. Additionally, the School of Global Business will provide community development support.

For two weeks, 10 students and six professionals in the fields of Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, Counseling, IPCR, Genetic Counseling, and Public Health have worked with children and adults with disabilities to improve their mobility for day-to-day activities. The College of Health Sciences has also provided health and wellness fairs to the community, including nutrition workshops, disease prevention programs, new mother support groups, and hygiene classes.

Additionally, the School of Education will work with local teachers to provide seminars on student development, including inclusive classrooms, which were recognized as areas that need improvement by the school in February.

Lara Goldman ’93, who lives in San Pedro, has helped coordinate the project, which comes after three years of working with Arcadia and her local community to organize these services. She hopes that through the service programs, the people of San Pedro can learn from the faculty and students to further address these issues on their own.

The School of Global Business has also worked on projects including urban planning, personal finance, and professional development. Graduate students plan to travel biannually to San Pedro to host seminars for the community focusing on budgeting and ways to take advantage of the burgeoning tourism industry.