Ohio Northern University will put active learning and community involvement into practice with the annual Ada Community Engagement (ACE) Day beginning at 10 a.m. on Aug. 19.

The program is designed to engage incoming students with their college home and provide opportunities for ONU’s first-year students to contribute to the village and surrounding communities.

University members will travel to several individual residences to help with projects such as weeding, mulching and painting.

They also will assist with several village-wide projects such as weeding at Railroad Park and trimming trees at the Industrial Park. In the spirit of the event, ONU members are partnering with individuals from Ada and Allen East schools for projects such as landscaping and painting as well as assisting with the ONU Child Development Center and the Ready Set Grow preschools.

The endeavor also includes a community-wide food drive with 11 small groups collecting items for the Ada Food Pantry.

Last year’s effort included more than 40 service projects and involved approximately 335 ONU volunteers, including new students, upper-class students, faculty and staff members. A similar number is anticipated this year.

“It is important that our students have a well-rounded college education that extends beyond the classroom. Community service is an important component of the ONU educational experience, and we want our students to appreciate the benefit of this type of engagement,” said Director of Student Involvement Jennifer Lambdin. “These are the types of experiences that prepare students for lives of impact.”

The ACE Day activities are part of a larger effort to help incoming students become engaged with the University and local community.

Ohio Northern University opens its doors to the 2017-18 academic year with the traditional move-in day for incoming freshmen and other new students on Aug. 17. Classes begin on Aug. 21.

Adriane Thompson-Bradshaw, ONU vice president for student affairs, said, “Move-in day is a great tradition at the University, and our staff has been working diligently making preparations for the incoming new students. We have several wonderful introductory activities planned to help prepare them for life at ONU and a smooth transition to college life.”

After move-in day, a series of activities highlight the welcome weekend. New students will be formally welcomed by ONU President Daniel DiBiasio at a convocation event beginning at 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 18 in the ONU Field House. The traditional Greekapalooza, the Greek social activity for new students, is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 19, and Welcome Fest will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Aug. 20 in the ONU Field House.