Delaware Valley University Receives Healing the Planet Grant from The GIANT Company and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful
DelVal students planting PA native fruit trees on campus during their Basic Plant Management course as part of the 2025 Healing the Planet grant.
(Delaware Valley University) To encourage the planting of more trees in local communities, Delaware Valley University announced that it was the recipient of a $4,000 2025 Healing the Planet grant from The GIANT Company and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.
The grant supported an environmentally positive, student-led tree-planting initiative on campus, led by faculty member Joe Theesfeld and his Basic Plant Management Course, which consists primarily of first-year students. As part of DelVal’s commitment to hands-on learning, students planted 18 native fruit-bearing trees near the retention basin beside the Admission Cottage and Entrance.
The project introduced 10 pawpaw trees and eight serviceberry trees, both native to Pennsylvania. The trees were purchased from alumnus Chris Uhland ’02, president of operations and business development at Harmony Hill Nursery.
