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The Two Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce (TRACC) will present its Community Service Award to Lafayette at the annual Dinner and Awards Banquet June 5 in recognition of the College’s commitment to Easton and the surrounding communities.
“Lafayette College has made a great financial commitment to the area, developed a gateway into downtown Easton, renovated buildings and the streetscape, and shown a genuine concern for the quality of life of the residents that live in the community,” says Bev Dalrymple, chamber special events coordinator. “The College has reached out and shown it is part of the larger community and the chamber is proud to award the 2007 Community Service Award to Lafayette.”
This is now the second recent honor the College has recieved in recognition of its collaborations with Easton. The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce previously honored Lafayette with a 2006 Community Partner award.
The College has invested more than $9 million to acquire and beautify properties in the North Third St. area at the base of College Hill, which is the gateway to campus from downtown Easton and Route 22. Plans are also being formulated for continuing investment and development in the area.
The initiative is part of the Bushkill Creek Corridor Revitalization project, which also includes improvements to former industrial properties on North 13th St. and the addition of trails along the Bushkill Creek. The project is a collaboration of the College, the City of Easton, the Easton Redevelopment Authority, and the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor.
Forging closer ties with Easton is a key objective of the College as it develops its new strategic plan. A dimension of Lafayette’s engagement with Easton is the active role played by students, faculty, and staff as volunteers through the Landis Community Outreach Center and through community-based teaching initiatives offered at the Williams Visual Arts Building. This community-centered mission is increasingly reflected in the College’s academic programming, as well. Members of the faculty are responding to students’ growing interest by incorporating service-learning components into courses.
The College has also collaborated with the Easton Business Association on First Weekend Easton and the All Access Pass to Easton.
Other local businesses and individuals who will be honored at the dinner June 5 are the Easton Coffee Exchange, Action-Coach, Minuteman Press of the Lehigh Valley, ProJect of Easton, Easton artist Karl Stirner, and Phil Lipkin, owner of Lipkin’s Furniture.
TRACC, which is a regional council of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, is organized to improve the economic conditions and enhance the quality of life in the Easton area and the Lehigh Valley.