ODU Students Engage in Community Service During Spring Break

April 8, 2005

COLUMBUS, OH - Ohio Dominican University students spent their week of spring break, March 12 - 19, lending a helping hand to the less fortunate through ODU's Alternative Spring Break program.

The Alternative Spring Break projects combined service, education and fun, as students worked with people living in poverty-stricken areas. Part of the students' day included service activities. They were given the opportunity to experience different cultures and lifestyles, while enjoying a break from schoolwork and the classroom setting.

"I never knew how much fun a person could have while doing something good for somebody else," said Art Education major and freshman Andrew Williams, a resident of Orient, Ohio. "We got to learn a few practical skills like anchoring floors and making walls, but we also learned a lot about working together. I thought it would be a good use of all that time off. I didn't want to waste a week lying on a beach."

Austina McFarland, ODU's Residence Hall Minister, took a group of 14 freshmen to a Habitat for Humanity in Opelika, Alabama, where the students worked together with students from other colleges to build houses for families in need. The Auburn Christian Fellowship Church provided food and housing for the Habitat students.

The ODU students who participated in the Habitat for Humanity/Alabama trip are:

Bill Campbell - Freshman, Communication major, Columbus, OH
Sarah Massey - Junior, Early Childhood Education major, Reynoldsburg, OH
Krista Gavarkavich - Freshman, Special Education Intervention Specialist major with a concentration on Mild to Moderate Needs, Zanesville, OH
Kristi Kratzer - Sophomore, Communications major, Defiance, OH
Karen Willing - Sophomore, Early Childhood Education major, Galion, OH
Duztin Hord - Freshman, History major, Mount Vernon, OH
Ryan Phile - Freshman, major undecided, Ravenna, OH
Charlotte Brister - Freshman, Art major, New Albany, IN
Jason Murray - Junior, Middle Childhood Education major, Richwood OH
John Edmonds - Sophomore Integrated Mathematic Education major, Galena OH
Celia Emmelhainz - Senior, Cross Disciplinary major, North Royalton, OH
Christina Castro - Freshman, Business Administration major, Bellefontaine, OH
Andrew Williams - Freshman, Art major, Orient, OH
Liz Boczek - Sophomore, Early Childhood Education major, Westerville, OH
Jennifer Leone - Sophomore, Early Childhood Education major, Garfield Heights, OH

Several other ODU students, led by Campus Minister Jenn Schaaf, traveled to Spenser, West Virginia for a week of work on a farm and to repair homes for families in Appalachia. They also spent time visiting with local children and senior citizens in the area.

The ODU students who participated in the farm trip in West Virginia are:

Patrick Brocwell - Freshman, Psychology major, Reynoldsburg, OH
Tom Meyer - Freshman, Cross Disciplinary major, Cincinnati, OH
Nicole Knabe - Sophomore, Theology major, Mansfield, OH
Samantha Gearhart - Freshman, Graphic Design major, Kent, OH
Kelly Pertee - Junior, Theology major, Sunbury, OH
Bridget Crawford - History major, Columbus, OH
Jessica Tobin - Junior, Social Justice major, Columbus OH