MEDIA ADVISORY
PHOTO/VIDEO/INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Allison Benner, College Relations Associate - Media, 610-740-3790

CEDAR CREST'S NEW STUDENTS LEND A HAND IN THE LEHIGH VALLEY
This Year Athletes Also Volunteer Before Hitting the Practice Field, Setting Record for Student Involvement

Allentown, PA (August 18, 2004) - On Friday, August 20, the newest members of the Cedar Crest College community will uphold a College tradition by spending a part of their orientation week giving back to those in need in the greater Lehigh Valley. The incoming class of roughly 280 freshman and transfer students, along with their advisors and mentors, will perform a day of service at several sites throughout the region in an effort to learn the importance of being actively engaged in their community.

Buses depart the campus at 8:30 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m. to take students to a number of local facilities. Divided into groups of ten to fifteen people, the students will spend the day volunteering in a variety of ways including gardening, painting, assisting classroom teachers and visiting the elderly. The Sixth Street Shelter, Habitat for Humanity and the American Diabetes Association are just a few of the many organizations at which students will volunteer.

This year, Cedar Crest's student athletes, who return to campus earlier than the rest of the student body, also had the opportunity to participate in a day of service before beginning practice this week. On August 16th, the athletes set out to volunteer at area sites including The Lehigh Valley Historical Society, Cedarbrook Nursing Home and the YWCA of Bethlehem. Over the course of the two days, more than 400 Cedar Crest students will complete roughly 800 hours of community service to the area.

"Community service is a key component of the mission at Cedar Crest College," says Joan Laffey, dean of students. "It is an integral part of the Cedar Crest student experience."

Community Service Day also highlights the College's commitment to incorporating community service into programs of study. It is used as an outside-the-classroom learning experience for students and provides faculty with the opportunity to work with the students on a personal level as they accomplish a goal together. In total, Cedar Crest students performed more than 22,000 hours of community service for the 2003-2004 academic year.

A list of volunteer sites and services follows on the next page. For more information, including times and locations, contact the College Relations Office at Cedar Crest College at 610-740-3790.

VIDEO AND PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES AT VOLUNTEER SITES AND INTERVIEWS WITH STUDENTS AND FACULTY AVAILABLE BY REQUEST*
*Please call ahead to schedule interviews as some volunteer sites have confidentiality restrictions.

Volunteer Sites & Activities

Allentown State Hospital
Assist with the recreation activity of the day

American Diabetes Association
Literature stuffing

Bethlehem Senior Citizens Council
Participate in a cake walk to raise money for the center

Cedarbrook Nursing Home, Fountain Hill
Assist with transporting and Bingo

Cityspace Child Care
Setting up new rooms and working with Children

Community Bike Works
Painting

Country Meadows
Working with the activities department

Daybreak
Help serve breakfast to members, help with Arts and crafts, play games and socialize with members

Game Preserve
Gardening and weeding

Habitat for Humanity
Prep work for house building

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
Invasive plant removal

Lehigh Valley Historical Society at Trout Hall
Gardening and weeding

Lehigh Valley Public Broadcasting System
General office duties

Lenni Kenape Museum of Indian Culture
Set up for annual "Roasting Ears of Corn Festival"

Luther Crest Retirement Community
Weeding and cleaning inner courtyard

Minsi Trails Council, Boy Scouts of America
General yard work and upkeep of flowers. Window cleaning.

New Bethany Ministries
Serve and clean up from noon meal

Phoebe Nursing Home
Bingo Helpers

Sayre Child Center
Assist classroom teachers and interact with the children, playing games, building with blocks, reading books, puzzles, etc

Second Harvest Food Bank
Sort donated food and other grocery product so that it can be distributed to needy area residents

Sixth Street Shelter
Weeding and gardening, apartment painting, organizing and sorting donations

Turning Point
Window cleaning of offices, bedrooms and common areas

Union & West End Cemetery
Reconstruction of tombstones and ecological clean up

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