Ohio Northern University will put active learning and community involvement into practice with the annual Ada Community Engagement (ACE) Day event from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Aug. 18. 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 landscaping and visiting with the elderly residents at Vancrest of Ada and The Good Samaritan Society of Arlington, as well as washing vehicles at the Ada Liberty EMS and Ada Volunteer Fire Department.

The endeavor also includes a community-wide food drive with eight small groups collecting items for Ada ReStore.

Last year’s effort included more than 40 service projects and involved approximately 305 ONU volunteers, including new students, upperclassmen, faculty and staff members. A similar number is anticipated this year.

“Community engagement is one of the distinguishing features of the ONU educational experience and helps prepare students for lives of impact both during and after their college careers,” said Director of Student Involvement Jennifer Lambdin. “It is important they feel connected to the village that will serve as their college home.”

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