Neighborhood helpers planting new sod
Lehigh and the Community

Neighborhood Revitalization

Lehigh is invested in lending vibrancy and stability to the neighborhood. Successfully transformed neighborhoods boast a rich intellectual and cultural climate and offer a comfortable environment for students, employees and residents alike.

Students working on the greenway

Greenway

The South Bethlehem Greenway has transformed a narrow trail of railroad tracks that once divided South Bethlehem into a scenic linear park and paved path which links neighborhoods within the business district, paralleling Rte. 412 from New Street to the Skate Plaza off Steel Ave.  Eventually the trail will run more than three miles between Union Station and Saucon Park in Hellertown.

Student working in a food bank

Service Learning

Lehigh students who take part in Service Learning Projects are placed into teams and then paired with a local community agency to work on a project which benefits the community members targeted by that agency. Examples include working at food banks, creating educational and wellness programs, tutoring, historical preservation and more.

Student in the Community Fellows Program

Community Fellows Program

Lehigh graduate students in the Community Fellows Program further their academic interests while bringing needed expertise and assistance to community programs throughout the Lehigh Valley. Community Fellows are matched with a partner agency that allows them to integrate social activism into the academic setting by collecting and analyzing data, coordinating and promoting events, creating curricula and more.

Photo of an event at the Bethlehem Steelstacks

Neighborhood Events

Bethlehem's South Side offers a series of exciting events throughout the year that draw community members and visitors alike to its commercial district. First Fridays, Spring on the SouthSide, ArtsQuest, the SouthSide Film Festival and the Bethlehem Farmers' Market are just a few of the events that showcase the neighborhood's eclectic retailers and restaurants, as well as its vibrant arts and cultural scene.

 

Broughal Middle School

One essential way Lehigh fulfills its mission of research, teaching and service is through a partnership with Broughal Middle School as part of the Community School initiative. Lehigh is helping Broughal meet the needs of students through academic support and enrichment programs, tutoring, coordinated health and wellness, and enhanced parent education. The program serves students and families by bringing all of these critical areas into the school, which children and families view as a safe and nurturing environment.

67

community not-for-profit and governmental organizations have been served by the Community Fellows Program

2,500+

Lehigh students participated in volunteer programs in 2014-15

194

Holiday Hope Chest boxes of presents collected for local families at the holidays in 2015

2,010

local schoolchildren attend at least one complimentary event at the Zoellner Arts Center every year

2,100

South Bethlehem children participated in a community service program during the 2015­-16 academic year