Temple Volunteers Revitalize Local Recreation Centers for Spring Sports

Temple University Volunteers Spring into Action for Local Recreation Centers

The Temple University community recently mobilized for a day of service, focusing efforts on rejuvenating two of Philadelphia’s recreation hubs. On April 10, a group of 132 volunteers from Temple gathered at the Dendy and Martin Luther King recreation centers as part of the Owls for Philly initiative, aiming to prepare these facilities for upcoming spring and summer activities.

The event, dubbed Recreation Center Rejuvenation Day, was a collaborative effort involving Temple’s Office of Sustainability, university facilities, student-athletes, and the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation. “If every child in Philadelphia has access to a clean and safe place to recreate, we’re going to see better outcomes,” stated Caroline Burkholder, who serves as both the volunteer site manager and the sustainability manager for the Office of Sustainability.

Launched in September 2025, Owls for Philly is a community outreach program that connects Temple staff, faculty, alumni, and students with local service opportunities. The program offers paid time off for full-time and part-time staff members to participate in community service and has already hosted 33 different volunteer events since its inception.

Inspired by the investigative series “Playing Fields, not Killing Fields” and an August 2025 event featuring former Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, the cleanup aimed to address the maintenance needs of recreational facilities as a means to combat gun violence. Temple athletes and other volunteers cleared weeds and debris from Dendy’s campus and refurbished the basketball courts by replacing old nets.

Martin Luther King Recreation Center also saw improvements with the help of 50 additional volunteers who cleaned the playground, pool, and baseball field. Debbie Campbell, associate vice president in the Office of Community Impact and Civic Engagement, emphasized the need for ongoing maintenance, noting that carpenters installed six new benches to replace old ones.

Sharing Excess, a nonprofit food distribution service, was present to offer food to volunteers and community members at the Martin Luther King Center. Mike Barsotti, director of youth sports for Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, highlighted the strategic choice of these locations due to their proximity to Temple’s Main Campus and their pressing maintenance needs. “These were two sites that had some real upkeep needs that weren’t fully being addressed,” he said.

Despite the funding from the city’s Rebuild Program, initiated in 2018 to enhance public spaces, these centers had not received upgrades. Campbell expressed a commitment to making a difference locally, stating, “We’re trying to make an impact all over the city, but really where we live in this neighborhood.”