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Students serve others on spring vacation
March 23, 2007
This spring break, more than 60 students are embarking on service-oriented trips to work with both local and national organizations around the country.
The trips are part of the first ever “Service Project Runaway: Alternative Spring Break Trips,” a collaborative effort by various offices across campus to give students the opportunity to give back. The experiences will take students and PLU employees from the streets of downtown Tacoma to the United States-Mexico border to Perryville, Ark.
For the past several years, Campus Ministry has offered service-oriented spring break projects, most recently sending 16 students to New Orleans in 2006 to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. More than 80 students applied to participate in that project, which signaled a growing interest among students to give back to others, said Elisabeth Pynn Himmelman, program specialist in Campus Ministry. A larger program was developed to give students more opportunities this year.
Many students said they chose to participate in the service projects because it was a more productive way to spend the break. Freshman Mike Engh, who will participate in the Habitat for Humanity project in Spokane, said he’s excited to immerse himself in the project and see the fruits of his labor.
“I figured I’d take advantage of the opportunity and get something positive out of it,” he explained.
Junior Jeva Morton will spend her break living as a homeless person on the streets of downtown Tacoma. She joined the trip because it offered a unique chance to walk in someone else’s shoes, she said.
“You hear about (homelessness) in books and in class, but this experience will be millions of times better than books or teachers,” Morton said.
In addition to the five multi-day trips, Student Involvement and Leadership has organized one-day service opportunities in Tacoma for those sticking close to PLU during the break. These include:
Among those leaving town, eight students and two employees will travel to the United States-Mexico border at El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico for a border immersion experience. The group will be working with the Iglesia Luterana Cristo Rey, a local Lutheran church that ministers to people on both sides of the border.
From March 24 to 30, the group will hear the testimony of legal and illegal immigrants, learn about the work of local social justice ministries, work on projects and with youth in the communities, and be exposed to the Mexican and Mexican-American culture.
Thirteen students and one employee will head to Spokane March 23 through 28 to participate in number of volunteer activities. The group will work mainly with Habitat for Humanity, a Christian organization that brings communities together to build homes for families in need.
In addition to building homes in the area, the group will engage in the community by learning about the community services available, helping local churches with projects and taking part in a Taize worship service. The group will be housed at the Parish House of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church.
A third group will volunteer at Holden Village, a Christian center located in the Cascade Mountains near Chelan, Wash. From March 26 to April 1, 13 students and one employee will split their time between serving the community and enjoying the outdoors.
Holden Village is a small and secluded former mining town and boasts a small population of around 50 residents during the fall and winter. In the summer, the population explodes. The PLU group will help the village clean and prepare for the summer months, while also learning how the village operates. Outdoor activities will include snowshoeing and skiing.
The Heifer International Ranch in Perryville, Ark., will host 15 students from March 26-30. The group will participate in the organization’s Global Village educational experience, which immerses participants in Heifer’s sustainable solutions to global hunger, poverty and environmental degradation. During the day, students will work with livestock and on the land, and they will spend the evening discussing sustainability, poverty and global hunger with the Heifer staff.
Finally, nine students and one employee will spend four nights and five days living as a homeless person on the streets of downtown Tacoma. The group will sleep in churches for safety, but they will leave their cell phones behind, live in one change of clothes, eat at soup kitchens, interact with the urban homeless community and meet with representatives from community organizations.
Campus offices involved in the planning process include: Student Involvement and Leadership, Campus Ministry, University Congregation, the Center for Public Service, the Volunteer Center, ASPLU, Outdoor Rec, the Diversity Center, GREAN, Catholic Campus Ministry, Residential Life and the Wang Center.
To learn more about the trips, visit www.plu.edu/~pubsrvc/alternative-spring/home.html.
For the past several years, Campus Ministry has offered service-oriented spring break projects, most recently sending 16 students to New Orleans in 2006 to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. More than 80 students applied to participate in that project, which signaled a growing interest among students to give back to others, said Elisabeth Pynn Himmelman, program specialist in Campus Ministry. A larger program was developed to give students more opportunities this year.
Many students said they chose to participate in the service projects because it was a more productive way to spend the break. Freshman Mike Engh, who will participate in the Habitat for Humanity project in Spokane, said he’s excited to immerse himself in the project and see the fruits of his labor.
“I figured I’d take advantage of the opportunity and get something positive out of it,” he explained.
Junior Jeva Morton will spend her break living as a homeless person on the streets of downtown Tacoma. She joined the trip because it offered a unique chance to walk in someone else’s shoes, she said.
“You hear about (homelessness) in books and in class, but this experience will be millions of times better than books or teachers,” Morton said.
In addition to the five multi-day trips, Student Involvement and Leadership has organized one-day service opportunities in Tacoma for those sticking close to PLU during the break. These include:
- Working at Mother Earth Farms on Tuesday, March 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Participating in the Puget Creek Restoration Project on Wednesday, March 28 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Gardening at the Spanaway Elementary School community garden on Thursday, March 29 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Among those leaving town, eight students and two employees will travel to the United States-Mexico border at El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico for a border immersion experience. The group will be working with the Iglesia Luterana Cristo Rey, a local Lutheran church that ministers to people on both sides of the border.
From March 24 to 30, the group will hear the testimony of legal and illegal immigrants, learn about the work of local social justice ministries, work on projects and with youth in the communities, and be exposed to the Mexican and Mexican-American culture.
Thirteen students and one employee will head to Spokane March 23 through 28 to participate in number of volunteer activities. The group will work mainly with Habitat for Humanity, a Christian organization that brings communities together to build homes for families in need.
In addition to building homes in the area, the group will engage in the community by learning about the community services available, helping local churches with projects and taking part in a Taize worship service. The group will be housed at the Parish House of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church.
A third group will volunteer at Holden Village, a Christian center located in the Cascade Mountains near Chelan, Wash. From March 26 to April 1, 13 students and one employee will split their time between serving the community and enjoying the outdoors.
Holden Village is a small and secluded former mining town and boasts a small population of around 50 residents during the fall and winter. In the summer, the population explodes. The PLU group will help the village clean and prepare for the summer months, while also learning how the village operates. Outdoor activities will include snowshoeing and skiing.
The Heifer International Ranch in Perryville, Ark., will host 15 students from March 26-30. The group will participate in the organization’s Global Village educational experience, which immerses participants in Heifer’s sustainable solutions to global hunger, poverty and environmental degradation. During the day, students will work with livestock and on the land, and they will spend the evening discussing sustainability, poverty and global hunger with the Heifer staff.
Finally, nine students and one employee will spend four nights and five days living as a homeless person on the streets of downtown Tacoma. The group will sleep in churches for safety, but they will leave their cell phones behind, live in one change of clothes, eat at soup kitchens, interact with the urban homeless community and meet with representatives from community organizations.
Campus offices involved in the planning process include: Student Involvement and Leadership, Campus Ministry, University Congregation, the Center for Public Service, the Volunteer Center, ASPLU, Outdoor Rec, the Diversity Center, GREAN, Catholic Campus Ministry, Residential Life and the Wang Center.
To learn more about the trips, visit www.plu.edu/~pubsrvc/alternative-spring/home.html.