Bernard Hayden, who graduated Saturday from American Military University, came all the way from San Antonio to scatter mulch and rake leaves Friday morning for the Crescent Ridge Adult Day Health Center in Oxon Hill.
Hayden, 33, an Army staff sergeant, was among more than 20 students and staff from American Public University and American Military University who performed volunteer landscaping work Friday for the adult health center, the first collaboration of its kind between the two organizations.
The volunteers, wearing work gloves and white T-shirts, labored in tasks such as mulching the grounds, trimming the hedges and raking leaves on the grounds of the adult day-care center, which provides daytime care, socialization and medical supervision for seniors.
Crescent Ridge center administrator Corey Odol said the adult health center serves about 40 individuals per day.
“It’s more than just beautifying an area or building for the seniors,” he said. “It reminds them that people care about the elderly.”
Edna Tolson, 68, who goes to the center five days a week, said she felt good seeing young people help out seniors.
“They were all very friendly,” she said. “They would come around and speak to all of us, asked how we were doing. It was nice having them.”
Some volunteers helped clear leaves and branches from the center’s courtyard, and placed a birdhouse on the courtyard’s tree.
“It’s incredible,” said Karin Lakin, director of operations at Crescent Ridge. “We’re the ones who are used to going out and asking for help when we need it, but they came to us. This is the biggest community project that anyone has ever done for us.”
Tolson said the front area of the center was “shining” and “looked great” after the volunteers completed the work.
Pauline Gladden, 76, said many of the residents went outside to admire the new improvements and take pictures.
“The flowers were very pretty,” she said.
The students from American Public University and American Military University, both online accredited universities that operate under the American Public University System, traveled from Virginia, Louisiana and even as far as Melbourne, Australia, to volunteer. Students paid for their own travel expenses.
Some students spread the word about the volunteer project to their family members and friends, several of whom were there Friday.
Hayden’s fiancee, Amanda Holmes, was gathering bunches of leaves into black trash bags.
“It’s a lot of hard work, but we’re having a pretty good time,” she said. “It’s nice that we’re even doing this project.”
Amanda Wilson, student and alumni affairs team lead for APUS, said some of this year’s graduates wanted to perform a community service project before the school year ended. About 5,500 students graduated this year, with about 700 who walked in Saturday’s commencement ceremony at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in National Harbor.
She said they chose the adult day-care health center because of its proximity to the National Harbor and the organization’s mission. She contacted Sheila Smoot, the center’s activity director, in May.
Mike Janney of Luray, Va., graduated in February from American Public University with a master’s degree in human resources management.
“It’s great to see a lot of the students coming here to meet and learn about each other while helping the community at the same time,” Janney said.
mliu@gazette.net
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