QU Big Event volunteers put in a strong workday at DeNicola Park

Delta Upsilon, EGH, Mayor Sendroff group pic at The Big Event clean up

April 11th was our second time participating in The Big Event with Quinnipiac University. Last year we had around 70 students from QU sororities help make an access path and clean trash in the park. This year around 50 members of the QU fraternity Delta Upsilon showed up, along with some EGH supporters(!), to do more park work. The results were impressive.

We were able to make two new access trails, one within the park and the other on the Leeder Hill side. These trails are so important for our architects and engineers to access the site as we advance our plans for the healing garden.

To help the site be more accessible for our professional services teams, students cleared downed trees, branches, and invasive shrubs which historically have significantly limited access in the woods once spring blooms.

On top of all of that the volunteers were able to help clear 80%+ of the top of the machine gun test firing range which has massive vegetation growing on it and fallen branches preventing full access for our team. The access they enabled was such an unexpected accomplishment of the volunteer day. We hoped for branches and garbage to be cleaned and the students outdid themselves cleaning most of the firing range too!!

The motto for the Delta Upsilon frat is ‘Building Better Men’ and these guys lived up to that. Never complaining; asking for more work to do; smiling the whole time. The ultimate park clean up hype squad.

At the end of the work day we asked if anyone had fun. Everyone started yelling yes and clapping. It was great.

Thank you Quinnipiac University, organizers of The Big Event, the students in QU Delta Upsilon, our friends of EGH who came out to the work day, and to the Town of Hamden for supporting this event.

We had a great time walking the park and talking about our vision with Mayor Adam Sendroff and Alexa M. Panayotakis, Deputy Chief of Staff. Prior to the clean up the town put mulch down on our current access path which was tremendously helpful. After the clean up Hamden Parks and Public Works came back to remove the garbage and downed branches. Our partnership with the Town of Hamden is such an important ingredient to the success of bringing the healing garden to life.