Well for those who might remember I started doing Alternative Spring Break trips while at Albion College. I was never the big "Community Service Guy" in college, but I was raised to give back and my fraternity at Western Michigan always did more community service than the rest of the groups. While at GVSU my fraternity had many top volunteers and I helped with events like Make a Difference Day and others.
I have raised my daughter to give and show compassion. We started a Black Friday tradition that she buys a toy for the children's hospital in Chicago and she is always wanting to help people. She raises money for different causes and once again this year is the highest fundraiser at her school for Jump Rope for Heart. She raised $550!
Well while at Albion I started helping our Organization for Latino Awareness (OLA) with their fundraising and planning for their annual Honduras Service Trip. I attended the trip twice and it was a phenomenal experience. So when I started at IU South Bend and people said we no longer had a community service office and I had ZERO Student Organizations with a service focus... I knew I had to help change that.
We have since started a handful of service based organizations, did some local Alternative Spring Break programs and now this year... I am taking 15 students to Kentucky to work with Appalachia Service Project. I have worked now for two years with Indiana Campus Compact who funds a portion of our trips and I am also the campus Community Service Director. Its not a new office, just one more title and more work to do but I have really enjoyed it.
Leaving at 6AM today (the day of spring forward) might not of been one of my greatest ideas... but I am up and ready to go. I am up early because two of my students heeded my warning of the time change so well they called me an hour early wondering where everyone was...
Wish us luck... we won't have internet, and maybe not even cell coverage for a few days. I know it will be good for us, I know we will learn a lot, and hopefully we don't just change the lives of those we serve, but change ours lives as well.
God Bless.
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