Detroit’s Fort Wayne and Belle Isle landmarks and Chandler Park and Palmer Park got a spruce up thanks to the entire 918-member student body from the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy.
It all happened, October 3 as part of the school’s annual student-led service project called Pledge Detroit! In its eighth year, Pledge Detroit! sends students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni into the Detroit community to serve their fellow citizens at various locations and organizations within the city.
The students also served at Cass Community Social Services, St. Paul Retreat Center, St. Andrew House, Tindal Recreation Center and the Urban Neighborhood Initiatives.
U of D Jesuit has a long history of not only teaching academic rigor and critical thinking but also of drilling community service into the heads of every young man at the school. It’s a mission and commitment that serves the Detroit and one that the young men are encouraged to carry on throughout their lives.
“Pledge Detroit!™ is one of the ways that U of D Jesuit students live out our school motto, ‘Men for Others,’” says U of D Jesuit President, Fr. Theodore G. Munz, S. J. “U of D Jesuit has contributed to our community for more than 140 years. Service is an essential aspect of Jesuit education and the student experience at U of D Jesuit. Pledge Detroit! gives our students and the broader school community an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to mission and our commitment to Detroit.”
More than 5,000 man-hours were donated toward cleaning up Detroit, with the work being done between 8:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at the various locations. Since its inception, the U of D Jesuit community has given more than 40,000 hours of service to Detroit through Pledge Detroit!
“Pledge Detroit! is a great opportunity for our students to go into the communities of Detroit,” says Daniel Chekal, class of 2019 and Pledge Detroit! co-chair. “It provides a chance for learning outside of the classroom, while doing something we can take pride in. Pledge Detroit! supports our co-curriculars and school activities, but most importantly allows us to make a positive impact in our city.”
Pledge Detroit! is just one of the many community service activities U of D Jesuit students participate in during the year.
Other activities include a weekly Senior Service program at schools, hospitals, hospices, and centers for the aged and less fortunate, monthly Focus:HOPE food delivery service to the elderly, an annual collaboration with Gleaners Food Bank and its “Mountain of Food” competition, and the Pallbearer Ministry, a pallbearer service for marginalized individuals and unclaimed veterans.
Founded in 1877, the University of Detroit Jesuit is Detroit’s second oldest high school and has educated young men to be – “Men for Others” – through academic excellence, faith formation, and community service. It remains Metro Detroit’s most ethnically, geographically, and culturally diverse high school. More than 900 students are enrolled in grades seven through twelve from more than 70 communities in six counties. More than one-third of the students qualify for tuition assistance totaling $2.2 million annually.
– Pictures courtesy of University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy.
918 U of D Jesuit students align behind Detroit’s neighborhoods and each other added by Marge Sorge on
View all posts by Marge Sorge →
