Heritage Day Debuts

Serving the community is a central tenet of Moravian tradition and hence of our college’s foundation. To honor our history and put in practice that tenet of service, we held our first Heritage Day on September 21. Students, faculty, and staff gathered in Johnston Hall to learn about the history of the college, take part in the Moravian tradition of a Lovefeast (the sharing of food among members of a group to nurture goodwill and harmony), and then go out to serve the surrounding community. In the afternoon, we regrouped for a time of reflection. Heritage Day was indeed a celebration, and students, faculty, and staff can celebrate all that they accomplished. (To view a photo of the day's events, click on the image below.) Here are the day’s stats:

1,195 students, faculty, and staff gave 2,390 hours of service to 27 nonprofit organizations.

We produced the following:

900 take-home literacy kits for Jumpstart Philadelphia at Temple University

600 jump ropes for Nitschmann Middle School and Broughal and Marvine Elementary Schools

400 grab-and-go bags for children

346 nonslip socks for Comfort cottage, New Bethany Ministries, and Kids Peace

250 greeting cards for foster care children with Lehigh County Office of Children and Youth Services

168 scarves for the homeless

100 kindness rocks painted with inspirational messages for Comfort Cottage (a safe space where children in foster care meet their parents)

53 units of blood for the Red Cross

27 fleece blankets for the homeless

In cleanup of Monocacy Creek and in service of the Downtown Bethlehem Association, we collected the following:

75 bags of trash

2 tires

1 shopping cart

And at the end of the day, 1,300 children benefited from the day’s service.

Thank you, students, faculty, and staff. You’ve paid an extraordinary tribute to the heritage of our college.