Leyden builds on community service ethic at home and abroad
Pam Hersh
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Tom Leyden, holding sign at
left, with other volunteers in front of the Habitat
for Humanity-Princeton house that was completed two
years ago.
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Leyden, the prime mover and shaker in the success of the Habitat for Humanity-Princeton Project, a town and gown initiative providing affordable housing in Princeton, currently is a vice president for the PowerLight Corp., a solar energy company.
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The Habitat-Princeton Project, under the auspices of Habitat for Humanity-Trenton, the local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, is hosting a community building party at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, at the Campus Club, 5 Prospect Ave. For more information about the event and the current Habitat-Princeton Project, e-mail Pam Hersh, director of community and state affairs, at hersh@princeton.edu. |
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"The most fulfilling part of my business is seeing the technology at work, particularly in emerging countries where solar energy can mean the difference between life and death, or sickness or health," he said. He has worked side by side with villagers in Tanzania to build a solar-powered, clean water, pumping system, as well as with officials in Angola to build a solar electricity system for a health clinic.
His community service work with the Habitat for Humanity-Princeton Project "simply is an extension" of the theme that has been the underpinning of his professional life. "Habitat enables people to find a better life by leveraging hard work with creative financing, by rallying the forces of good will to improve our community," he said.
With hammer in hand, Leyden often is on the site of Princeton Habitat's current project, the restoration of a 2,800-square-foot duplex at 52 Leigh Ave. in Princeton Township. Four years ago, he spearheaded the Princeton Habitat's first house on Lytle Street in Princeton Borough. When not hammering away literally, he is hammering away figuratively knocking on doors of potential donors in order to build up the fiscal resources of the project.
Princeton not only gave him the education and training to pursue his business career, but "more importantly," Leyden said, the University provided the inspiration for his involvement with Habitat. "I was inspired by President Shapiro's call for 250 service projects in honor of the University's 250th Anniversary," he said.
Delighted that the University made an institutional commitment to community service, Leyden proposed that his class of 1977 adopt the Habitat project in Princeton as its 20th Reunion Community Service Project. The class responded "with great enthusiasm," so much so that its Habitat initiative led to the class being awarded the Alumni Community Service Award in 1997. "Habitat gave my class a sense of purpose with a project that was real, identifiable and would endure in its renovated glory and in the lives of the family partners," said Leyden, who has infected the class of '76 with the Habitat commitment for its upcoming 25th Reunion.
Leyden was moved by the "rush of support" from not only his classmates, but also dozens of University faculty and staff, hundreds of University students, hundreds of local individuals to work on Habitat projects in Trenton and Princeton," Leyden said.
"This project has greatly benefited from the efforts of the University students who are organized within a campus Habitat organization that each week arranges student volunteers and several businesses, such as the All State Foundation which recently announced a $10,000 contribution. Both Princeton Borough and Princeton Township municipalities contributed generously by selling the properties to Habitat for $1.
Participating in the Princeton Habitat enterprise has been particularly gratifying, "because it builds needed affordable housing for families who participate in the process and because it builds a town/gown bond," said Leyden, who served four years on the Princeton University Alumni Council Community Service Committee.
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November 6, 2000 Contents • Scherer
seeks rock-solid solutions to
deterioration • Committee
meets to discuss search • Leyden
builds on community service ethic at home and
abroad • Spotlight
/ People
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