Community Corner
Concordia U. Donates 100 Service Hours to Celebrate 100th Birthday
Concordia University Chicago donates more than 100 service hours to the Park District of Oak Park, recruits some community volunteers to help spread mulch.
As part of its 100th anniversary celebration, Concordia University Chicago in River Forest donated more than 100 hours of community service Saturday, improving the playgrounds in the Park District of Oak Park, according to a news release from Concordia University Chicago.
The group of more than 45 volunteers spread 160 cubic yards of mulch at Euclid Square and Stevenson Park on the morning of Oct. 12.
“I was so pleased to see so many people respond to the needs of the community,” CUC Pastor Jeff Leininger said in a statement. “What a blessing that in celebrating 100 years in River Forest, we were able to give 100 hours of service to the community.”
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Leininger added that community members also joined in after noticing the group’s hard work. “They said their kids were playing soccer and that they had extra time,” he said. “It was just so exciting; everyone was cheerful and sang together while working.”
John Borland, Grounds Maintenance Supervisor for the park district, expressed his thanks in a note to the university.
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“The work they did not only made the playgrounds more attractive, but is an important part of ensuring the safety of the children who play there," he wrote. "It’s not often that a work crew breaks into song, with harmony no less! Moreover, the fact that many stayed beyond the scheduled two hours is a testament to [the University’s] commitment to service.”
Earlier in 2013, the University was named to the U.S. President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for the fifth time in the past seven years, having donated 6,892 hours of community service during the 2011-2012 academic year, according to the release.
Concordia University Chicago is also celebrating its 150th Anniversary as an institution of higher education. The school was founded in Addison, IL in 1864 as the Addison Lutheran Teachers Seminary and was renamed Concordia Teachers College with the move to River Forest in 1913.
Information courtesy of Concordia University Chicago.
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