Sarah Pfeifer, Class of 2007, understands the importance of community involvement. The Louisville, Kentucky native took a lead in turning vacant lots in one of her home city's distressed neighborhoods into an urban oasis of green. For her hard work, she received her local Rotary Club's Unsung Hero Award.

"It's not every day you get to build a park," says Pfeifer, who plans to major in psychology at Kenyon. "It was a unique opportunity."

Pfeifer was part of a student committee formed to transform three abandoned lots in Louisville's Portland neighborhood into an urban park. The neighborhood had fallen on hard times, and a local church conceived the project as a way to restore the neighborhood to its former glory. "They were trying to find a way to tie the community together," says Pfeifer. During the summer of 2002, the committee held frequent meetings to design a park, work out budgeting and regulatory issues, and finally present their plans for approval.

Then the hardest part began-construction. Pfeifer spent countless hours digging in the dirt, hauling bricks, and performing myriad other laborious tasks. She had no shortage of volunteer assistance during the yearlong project. "We had a lot of help from the surrounding community," says Pfeifer. "A lot of people who lived in the neighborhood would help us build."

Now that Pfeifer has moved on to Kenyon, she has quickly adopted Gambier as her second home. A member of the field hockey and lacrosse teams, Pfeifer looks forward to becoming more involved with community life. She may volunteer with local elementary schools, one of many outreach opportunities at the college. "There's surprisingly a lot to do for such a small community," she says.