GC celebrates ninth annual day of service to the community Sept. 19

GOSHEN, Ind. — Most of the Goshen College campus will choose serving the community over studying Sept. 19 during the college’s ninth annual Celebrate Service Day. Students, faculty and staff will volunteer a day of work for 39 agencies and organizations throughout Michiana, after gathering for a campus sendoff at 9 a.m. in Schrock Plaza. Most groups will arrive at their sites by 10 a.m., or soon after, and work until 4 p.m. After their service, the volunteers will return to campus for a 5 p.m. picnic. Media are welcome to attend the events on campus, as well as visit the locations.

Jobs and locations include:

·    Preparing school and medical kits and fold blankets at Mennonite Central Committee Material Resource Center: The Depot, 1013 Division St., Goshen. Agency contact: Michelle Norman, (574) 534-4071.

·    Cleaning up the woods below the dam and all along the Mill Race with the Goshen Parks and Recreation Department. Agency contact: Richard Kindel, (574) 536-5945.

·    Doing general house construction with Habitat for Humanity on a new house located at 1720 Elizabeth St., Elkhart. Organization contact: Lisa Bailey, (574) 533-6109.

·    Helping set up for the Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale, held at the Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds in Goshen this weekend. Organization contact: Richard Miller, (574) 536-6712.

·    Clearing paths, pruning and weeding in the woods at the Pathways Retreat, 309 Hackett Rd., Goshen. Organization contact: Steve Thomas, (574) 534-7118.

·    Preparing products at Soup of Success, 629 S. 3^rd St., Elkhart. Agency contact: Betsy Ayrea (574) 523-1551.

·    Helping to clean inside and outside, as well as folding clothing at The Window Community Volunteer Center, 223 S. Main St., Goshen. Agency contact: Eber Rice-Smucker, (574) 533-9680.

·    Working on renovating the Shoots Building in downtown Goshen, including painting, sanding and cleaning, with LaCasa. Agency contact: Kate Irelan, (574) 533-4450.

·    Painting and cleaning at the new Elkhart site for Ryan’s Place, Inc., 431 S. Third St., Elkhart. Agency contact: Aileac Deegan, (574) 202-1688.

This year, students can purchase Celebrate Service Day T-shirts for $5 and all proceeds will go to earthquake relief work in Perú through the American and Canadian Association of Perú, an organization Goshen College students on Study-Service Term there are working with.

Assistant Campus Minister Tamara Shantz, coordinator of this event, said, “Celebrate Service Day is on opportunity for students and employees at Goshen College to live out our motto of ‘Culture for Service” and our core value commitment to being servant leaders in our community.”

Though this is one day of the year set aside by the campus for community service, many Goshen College students regularly volunteer in the community. Some students choose where and when to volunteer on their own initiative or as part of class assignments, while others serve through their churches. Celebrate Service Day introduces many students to volunteer opportunities in the area and the college also hosts a day for local agencies to solicit student interest. A student community voluntary service coordinator works at connecting students with meaningful assignments.

Editors: For information or to schedule interviews and photos during Celebrate Service Day, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a four-year residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.