On Oct. 20, members of the Teaching Center traded their laptops and notebooks for mattocks and one-handed reciprocating saws in support of Civic Action Week, the University’s annual community service campaign organized by PittServes and the Office of Engagement and Community Affairs.

The team convened at South Side Park, nestled against the scenic backdrop of the South Side Slopes about four miles from Oakland’s campus. Mary Catherine “Kitty” Vagley and the Friends of South Side Park have been working for almost a decade to restore the area back to its original health after years of powerful storms and the arrival of invasive plant species. The Friends have planted more than 1,500 new plants and shrubs along the hillsides and walking trails in an effort to infuse new botanical health into the area. Over the course of the day, the Teaching Center contributed to this effort by planting eight new American bladdernut trees and cleared over 1,000 square feet of hillside, where grass and new vegetation will be planted in the spring.

We’d like to thank the University for the opportunity to support this important effort, and commend Kitty and Friends of South Side Park for their work in restoring one of Pittsburgh’s parks back to a flourishing, blooming botanical environment.