November 16, 2015

On November 14, several students from the Dornsife School of Public Health spent their Saturday volunteering.  The Dornsife Student Government Organization Community Activism Committee partnered up with the Environmental and Occupational Health Club to participate in “Love Your Park Day,” an event held by the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department and the Fairmount Park Conservatory every fall and spring. More than 20 first and second year MPH students signed up to clean Rittenhouse Park in Center City and Cedar Park in West Philadelphia. The day started at Nesbitt Hall with coffee and breakfast, after which groups separated to go to their respective parks. Volunteers spent the morning raking leaves, throwing away litter, and planting in both parks.

When asked about where the idea to get Dornsife students involved in this day came from, Environmental and Occupation Health Club president Arjita Rai, MPH ’16, said that a similar Day of Clean Up was held in the spring to clean the Schuykill River and banks. Fellow Dornsife students Kathryn McNamara, MPH ’16, and Ruth Boansi, MPH ’16, suggested “Love Your Park Day” as a way for students to be involved in the community and put into use some of the skills they have learned into practical use.

“Everything has to start small and this was a way to give back to the environment and to the community,” Rai added about the impact of the day of service.

If you would like to get involved, the Environmental and Occupational Health Club meets at the Nesbitt Hall Doctoral Lounge on Mondays at 12:00PM, while the Community Activism Committee meets at the Nesbitt Hall Conference Room 240 on Mondays at 1:00PM.