T he Center for Community and Civic Engagement cancelled its student service trip, which was scheduled to occur from Saturday, Oct. 4 to Tuesday, Oct. 7. The goal of the trip was to restore New Jersey homes affected by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
Students would have worked eight-hour days to restore homes in coordination with Lend A Hand, a non-profit response and assistance program for natural disasters.
Matthew Ascah, the director of the Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE), gave no explanation regarding the trip’s cancellation. However, he said the CCCE plans to offer the service trip again in the spring 2015 semester.
“The CCCE facilitates and coordinates a variety of initiatives throughout the academic year on campus, in the greater-Elizabethtown community, regionally, and throughout the United States,” Ascah said.
According to him, the next event coordinated by the CCCE is the annual Into the Streets day of service on Saturday, Oct. 25. Into the Streets engages students in community service around Lancaster County and is designed to encourage students to volunteer on a regular basis. Student leaders work with members of the Elizabethtown community and College to support and beautify the area.
Future trips include Urban Poverty Experience, in which students can understand through exposure how homeless individuals spend each day. Throughout the weekend, students will use public transportation, live in a shelter and assist other volunteers with service projects in Lancaster City from Nov. 21 to 22.
A similar trip related to rural poverty is scheduled for April 2015. More information about the trip will be available in the spring.
According to the Center’s website, the possible spring break service trip is located at the Give Kids the World Village near central Florida. Give Kids the World is an independent non-profit theme park for children with terminal illnesses. Information about the trip will also be available in the 2015 spring semester.
The CCCE also works with faculty members regarding academic Community-Based Learning courses associated with the Signature Learning Experience initiative.
Students who are interested in serving the community can do so through service activity, which is part of the community-based Signature Learning Experience. Community-based learning is also achieved through community-based research, in which students, faculty, and community members engage in collaborative research in order to solve community issues or further social change.
Eligible students interested in further community service projects off-campus can participate in work-study programs coordinated by the CCCE which include but are not limited to assisting senior citizens and young children, tutoring students, office work and farm work.
News about future projects coordinated by the CCCE can be found on the bulletin board on the second floor of Nicarry Hall.