Students scour city during PMADD

Students left the comparatively tidy area of Oakland Saturday morning to head out into areas… Editor’s note: this story has been changed to reflect a number of corrections in the story. An earlier version of this story included an incorrect number of communities visited and buses the University used, as well as an incorrect crowd estimate. The Pitt News regrets these errors.

Students left the comparatively tidy area of Oakland Saturday morning to head out into areas littered with garbage, scrap metal and stray tires buried in knee-high grass.

The University’s fourth annual Pitt Make a Difference Day sent several thousand students to more than two dozen communities throughout Pittsburgh to clean up litter, set up chemistry kits for local schools and renovate parks.

Students filled several dozen buses that departed from Pitt by 8:30 a.m. They then scattered to the North Side, South Side, Lawrenceville and several other areas around the city. The organizers of the event will not know the official number of attendees until at least Monday.

Student Government Board member John Hasley said Pitt students proved their dedication to community involvement.

“This year was absolutely a success, especially around now, when people in the community complained that students were a nuisance. We were able to prove students are responsible,” he said.

Freshman Kyle VanDerPool heard about the event through the First Year Experience Facebook page.

“I think it’s an important way for students to give back to the community,” VanDerPool said on the bus ride to California-Kirkbride, an area in the North Side. As dozens of students filed out into the low-income neighborhood, an atmosphere of eagerness to get to work began to pervade the group.

According to Debbie Reed, the president of California-Kirkbride Neighbors, California-Kirkbride is a neighborhood in dire need of help. She said the area suffers from neglect, litter and plant overgrowth in public areas such as curbs and the public park.

Clean-up is the first step toward renovation of the area’s park, which was an important part of the California-Kirkbride community.

“Families used the park for years, and it was an important part of the community,” Reed said. “It seems like forever since it’s been used.”

Senior Shelbie Devoe was excited for the opportunity to bond with new friends from the Anthropology Club while raking leaves and picking up litter.

From rolling old tires out of knee-high grass to weeding brush and removing rotting wood, about 30 hands volunteering at the park were filled while performing necessary tasks.

Kathy Humphrey, Pitt’s vice provost and dean of students, regarded the enormous turnout with little surprise.

“The students coordinate this and step forward every year,” she said. “Student Affairs just supports their efforts.”

Kate Malekoff, SGB’s PMADD chairwoman, said that, logistically, the annual event takes roughly an entire year to coordinate. Initial plans are developed by SGB and PMADD, as well as interested volunteers. This year, 30 students with no group affiliation came forward to help plan the event.

Every year, Student Volunteer Outreach gets in contact with neglected areas and finds sites at which students can volunteer, but individual organizations, such as the Special Olympics at the University of Pittsburgh, also propose ideas for places to serve. SOUP filled up a bus and hosted a party with Special Olympics athletes at a home for senior citizens.

Annie Lesher, a junior involved with Pitt Association for Leadership and Success, explained that PMADD is more than a chance to give back to the community. She said it’s also an opportunity for groups to bond and network.

“[PALS’s] purpose is to serve and lead around campus. Today has been great for outreach,” Lesher said while cleaning up at the park.

For those who participated, enthusiasm levels were high. Senior Erica Smith registered for PMADD with no particular expectations, but found the day to be memorable for her and fellow members of the Archaeology Club.

“We’re just raking and having a good time getting to know everybody,” she said.