Ohio Dominican Students Give Back to Community During Holiday Break

January 11, 2006

COLUMBUS, OH – Most students use their breaks for well-earned rest and recuperation after finals, but nine Ohio Dominican University students are finding time during their holiday break to participate in the Project Open Heart inner-city service plunge.  

ODU students are volunteering for this service opportunity from January 11 to January 14, during ODU’s winter break.  Participating students will spend four days and three nights in Columbus, working with the less fortunate.  The students will visit Faith Mission, St. Lawrence Haven, Lutheran Village and St. Stephen’s Community Center, among others. The group will also visit Material Assistance Providers (M.A.P.), a furniture bank for people moving into an apartment or house for the first time, and the Joint Organization for Inner-City Needs (J.O.I.N.), an emergency relief organization sponsored by the Columbus Diocese. Members of ODU’s faculty and staff are joining the students for portions of the Project Open Heart experience, to share how faith, education and service are integrated into their own lives. 

According to ODU’s Campus Minister Jennifer Schaaf, “Project Open Heart opens  students' eyes to the real needs of those in our community.  By participating in this service plunge, they are connecting their faith to service.  Some of the students are participating in Project Open Heart for a second or third time as a result of having had such a positive experience in the past.  Our hope is that students will continue to work with service organizations in the community even after this experience ends.”  Students participating in this year’s project include seniors Jessica Tobin and Zeb Stokes; juniors Nicole Knabe, Liz Boczek, and Bridget Crawford; and freshmen Leah Crout, Jacquie Crooke, Laramie Aldridge and Jessica Gooding.

This is the fourth year that Ohio Dominican Campus Ministry has sponsored Project Open Heart.