By: Brett Gilbert, Staff writer

Lebanon Valley College student-athletes and coaches participated in their first community service cleanup for Adopt a Highway in early October.
The athletic department adopted close to four miles of Route 934 adjacent to campus. Men’s basketball coach Brad McAlester led the athletic department in planning the Adopt a Highway project.

“I thought it would be a good idea to get the whole athletics department together and do a volunteer or community service project with everybody working together,” McAlester said.

“The experience was great,” Anderson Orr, a junior business administration major, said. “It was great to see so many teams willing to help.”

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) provided all the necessary equipment for the cleanup process including safety vests, gloves, garbage bags and signs. More than 100 student-athletes participated in the first cleanup, which took place on October 2. The athletes worked in teams to pick-up trash along the four-mile stretch of the highway.

“I think it’s good to work within your local community,” McAlester said. “There was a lot of garbage on the north end of Route 934. It worked out well.”

The athletic department plans to participate in its second cleanup event in the spring so that more student-athletes can join in. McAlester and Orr stressed the significance of helping out the community.

“Our community is very supportive of our athletic programs, so it’s important that we give back to them and show support to the community as well,” Orr said.

Coaches and players enjoyed the opportunity to do good deeds while interacting with teammates and other student-athletes.

“I enjoyed this because I got a chance to work with some of the other athletes who I don’t normally get a chance to deal with,” McAlester said.

The athletic department plans to continue the Adopt a Highway project for years to come in addition to the various other community service projects. LVC student-athletes continue to make an impact in the classroom, in athletics and in the community.