Cincinnati – April 16, 2009 – More than 300 students, staff and faculty from Cincinnati Christian University (CCU) got wet, muddy and tired, but by the end of the day they had planted thousands of flowers and trees, pulled weeds and invasive plants, and uplifted the spirits of their community through their service and attitudes.

Despite the chilly, rainy day Wednesday, at four city parks – Eden, Ault, Mt. Airy and Miles Edwards – students dug into their assignments during the college’s annual Community Service Day.  Each year, CCU cancels classes and closes campus offices for one day to go out into the Cincinnati community and provide service. Students are not required to participate, but many look forward to the opportunity to get out in the city and have fun while accomplishing good works for others.

This year students were challenged to “Go Green” and help the city parks.

“Our students, staff and faulty did a great job,” said Bill Baumgardner, CCU’s director of service learning who organized the effort.  “They faced the cold and damp conditions and were an outstanding example of service.”

CCU has been sponsoring Community Service Day for four years as part of its commitment to serve the city.

This year an estimated 1500 hours of service were provided, part of the 40,000 hours a year the school has documented in volunteer service. The service provided recently resulted in the school receiving a ranking on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

About Cincinnati Christian University: CCU is a private Christian university that has been located at 2700 Glenway Avenue in Cincinnati’s Price Hill neighborhood since its founding in 1924. Today, almost 1,100 students study at one of CCU’s colleges: Cincinnati Bible College, Cincinnati Bible Seminary, and the College of Adult Learning. CCU is accredited by three national accrediting organizations. It has been accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education since 1966, North Central Association’s Higher Learning Commission since 1989, and the Association of Theological Schools since 2004. CCU is also a member of the Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges and Universities.   For more information, visit www.CCUniversity.edu