Elizabethtown College Center of Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE) hosted their annual Into the Streets. This day of service was held on Saturday, Oct. 23 and spanned from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Clubs, teams and individuals flocked to their designated area to volunteer; this included places throughout Elizabethtown, neighboring towns and work on campus.
Approximately 400 hundred students participated in Into the Streets, marking this event as a success.
Into the Streets supports the college’s motto of “Educate for Service.” Students represented this moral throughout their volunteer work and learned the importance of serving others.
CCCE Student Office Assistant Cassandra DeBacco shared the necessity for Into the Streets and its correlation with the College’s statement.
“Into the Streets is important because it is important for the college to see the need for service in our community. We had dozens of service options and could have had students participate in many more. It is great to see students and clubs coming together and getting to know each other better. But this event is so important because it gives [the] College a chance to give back to the community that gives us so much,” DeBacco said.
DeBacco was inspired to work for the CCCE from a college sponsored service trip she attended.
“I had gone on a spring break service trip to Give Kids the World Village in Kissimmee, Florida in March 2020, right before COVID[-19]. After attending that trip with my now boss Sharon Sherick, I got a quick glimpse of all the important and hard work the CCCE office does and knew I would love to be a part of it,” DeBacco explained.
CCCE works tirelessly to give students opportunities to serve. Through their dedication, it allows Etown students to see the positive impacts that they can have on those in need.
Junior Valerie Ammar-Khodja expressed her gratitude for CCCE and their commitment to service. Ammar-Khodja was excited to attend Into the Streets because of her love for helping others.
“I decided to go to Into the Streets because I am passionate about helping my community and it is a tradition at Elizabethtown that I am excited to be a part of. Some of the projects go directly to supporting people in Elizabethtown, and I appreciate the fact that I can see how my efforts pay off,” Ammar-Khodja said.
She further explained the greatness of the event, specifically sharing its beneficial opportunities for all students.
“I think Into the Streets is important because it gives students an accessible opportunity to make an impact on their community. As a college student it can be hard to find ways to volunteer because of our busy schedules. Into the Streets is also accessible to every student, no matter their interests, skill levels or abilities,” Ammar-Khodja stated.
Overall, the 2021 Into the Streets was extremely successful, benefitting a multitude of different organizations, communities and peoples.
DeBacco hopes that the event inspired volunteers to create new connections and notice the importance of their work.
“I hope all volunteers were able to bond with their club or friends. More importantly, I hope they saw the need Etown and surrounding towns have for service,” she said.
DeBacco expressed her gratitude for CCCE Program Coordinator, Sharon Sherick.
“None of this could have happened without Sharon Sherick. She is a vital person in everything the CCCE office does. Her passion for helping others along with her compassion for all is unmatched. I feel very blessed to work with her,” DeBacco explained.
