On Friday, Feb. 4th, the Elizabethtown College Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE) held a reception in recognition of the new Director of CCCE, Javita Thompson. The reception was held from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Bowers Writers House, and was a stop-and-go event.
Thompson asked all those who attended to write their dream for the CCCE down onto the index card. Her goal is then to take all these dreams and make them possible.
For the Director of Bowers Writers House and Community Impact Coordinator Jesse Waters, his dream is to help create more engagement into the Writers House.
“I would love to see a greater use of the Bowers Writers House as a locus for receptions, mini conferences, seminars, etc. for both our on- and off-campus communities,” Waters said.
Junior Student Office Assistant for CCCE Cassandra DeBacco attended the event, not only to support Thompson but also to hear the others dreams for the CCCE office.
“I dream of having all our old trips and service opportunities come back as they were before COVID while still building and expanding what our office does to service Etown, surrounding communities and people at large as we have always done,” DeBacco said.
“Based on our belief that learning is most noble when used to benefit others, the Center for Community and Civic Engagement fosters opportunities for meaningful and reciprocal relationships between Elizabethtown College and the community,” the mission of the CCCE states, according to the Etown website.
While the CCCE pushes for different service opportunities, they provide some on campus resources for students including the Blue Jay Food Pantry. The pantry is open 24/7 to all students, and holds a variety of snacks, canned goods, toiletries and more.
Thompson has also been working with Executive Student Senate Treasurer Kyle Cappucci to partner with Senate on creating a Professional Attire Closet, which would allow students to get business professional clothes at no cost to them.
Thompson has quickly gotten to work in her new position, and this could be cited from the work at her previous employments. She spent around nine years working at Millersville University and around five years working at Shippensburg University.
“I started our first-year experience program at Shippensburg and also did community engagement alongside that,” Thompson said. “So working with faculty as well as students has always been something that I’ve done throughout my high education career.”
Throughout her time working in higher education, Thompson has always loved getting to work collaboratively with other people. She also has always worked with the aspect of service and community in mind.
“Most people don’t necessarily have the opportunity to build relationships and connect with community folks, but each role that I’ve had, has always afforded me that opportunity,” Thompson said. “I like to consider myself someone who is all [about] building relationships that are helpful not just to the community but also to the students so that they can gain some practical experience.”
Upcoming events for the CCCE office include Day of Service on April 1st and for the fall semester, Into the Streets on Oct. 22.
