Harriton High School was really “Swinging for Change” two weekends ago at Royal Gardens. With the help of 72 Harriton students, students managed to better the Overbrook community. Greg Costa, the president of a student-run and non-profit program, Swinging for Change, made it possible for us to refurbish the Royal Gardens Community Center on Saturday, September 21. Everyone who participated restored the community center to a new, inviting and upgraded condition.

The event lasted from 8 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon on Saturday, the 21st. Students were able to come as they pleased throughout the day. As and added bonus, the hours spent working counted as community service hours for your college application. The students spent the majority of the day chipping the old paint off of the walls so that they would be easier to paint over. They did this by hitting the walls so that the loose paint chips would flake off. Though this was hard work, it paid off in the end for a smooth looking finish over the newly painted walls. After the walls were smooth and ready to be painted, the students used paint rollers, ladders and paint brushes to paint the entire building (the outside at least). The top halves of the walls were painted cream and the bottom halves were painted green. We used ladders to paint the ceilings and the hard-to-reach places and paintbrushes to fill in the cracks and give the walls a neat and clean finish. When the painting was almost finished, the building looked like it was off to a great start, with smooth, neat, and beautiful walls.

Swinging for Change is a great program that everyone should definitely get involved with. Last weekend was extremely fun and made students feel proud that they helped the community. Ella Miliani, a freshman at Harriton, says “This was really fun and it also felt good to be helping out the community.”

There was also another event this past weekend, when Swinging for Change went back to Royal Gardens to refurbish a baseball field. Students weeded and raked, cleaning the field and making it able to be played on again.

If you wanted to come to the Swinging for Change event last weekend but couldn’t make it, don’t worry! This weekend, on Saturday, October 5th, at the Royal Gardens Park (same location as last event), the organization will be finishing the painting job at the community center. There is also a fundraiser this friday, October 4th, at Chipotle. Fifty percent of all proceeds from orders from 3-7 pm will be donated to the organization.

Swinging for Change is a great way to help the community and it is definitely worth your time, effort, and it will make you feel great!