 |
Students pose on work site in Mississippi during 2007 spring break. |
In February, Habitat for Humanity founder Millard Fuller spoke at Wittenberg’s Ness Family Auditorium in Hollenbeck Hall, lecturing on the importance of service to humanity. Wittenberg’s chapter has also participated in Saturday building days with the Clark County Habitat for Humanity throughout the academic year. Additionally, in three of the last four summers, a group of Wittenberg students has traveled to Africa for 10-day service trips, building more than 20 houses and a playground in the impoverished nation of Lesotho.
Then there are the annual spring break trips. Wittenberg’s Habitat for Humanity has long been committed to service work during what is normally a time of relaxation for college students, and in 2007, three university groups traveled to Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.
Wittenberg’s chapter consistently sends as many students on these trips as schools with 10-15 times the enrollment, according to Habitat for Humanity adviser Scott Rosenberg, associate professor of history.
“We accomplish a lot for a small school,” Rosenberg said. “[It’s shown] by the money we raise, the houses we build, and the students we send on spring break.”
Andrea Lauer, class of 2010 from Silver Spring, Md., was one of the students who traveled to Pontotoc, Miss. She said it was an unforgettable experience.
“We built an entire house, starting with the foundation, then the floorboards, the walls, the roof,” Lauer said. “I never thought that I would be able to say that I built a house. Not a lot of people can say that.”
Lauer traveled to Mississippi with a smaller group of 10 students, working eight-hour days to build a house for a low-income family while many of her schoolmates were sleeping in or relaxing on a beach.
After the spring break trip, Lauer plans to become more active within Wittenberg’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity. She already plans on participating in next year’s service trip.
“I really believe that the community service requirement is a good thing,” Lauer said. “Otherwise, I would have never been involved [with Habitat]. Now I want to do it again.”
Written By:Rachel Morgan '08
071-07
| Related Links: |
