GC celebrates eighth annual day of service to the community Sept. 20

GOSHEN, Ind. — The majority of members of the Goshen College campus will choose serving the community over studying on classes Sept. 20 during the college’s eighth annual Celebrate Service Day. Students, faculty and staff will volunteer a day of work for 42 agencies and organizations throughout Michiana, after gathering for a campus sendoff at 9 a.m. on the College Mennonite Church front lawn. Most groups will arrive at their sites by 10 a.m., or soon after, and work until 4 p.m. After a day of service, the volunteers will return to campus for a 5 p.m. picnic.

Jobs and locations include:

·    A group will be painting and cleaning at The Post in Goshen, 301 E. Lincoln Ave. Agency contact: Lon Miller, 574-535-8340.

·    A group will prepare school and medical kits and fold blankets at Mennonite Central Committee: The Depot, 1013 Division St., Goshen. Agency contact: Michelle Norman, (574) 534-4071.

·    A group will do yard work at Bethany Christian Schools, 2904 S. Main St., Goshen. Organization contact: Len Harms, (574) 534-2567 ext. 141.

·    A group will do outside work on a new playground at Oaklawn Psychiatric Center, 330 Lakeview Drive, Goshen. Organization contact: Sharon Miller, (574) 537-2646.

·    Multiple groups will be assisting REAL Services clients in their homes with yard care and window washing. For a list of those locations, call the organization contact: Deb Leach, (574) 284-2644.

·    A group will do general house construction with Habitat for Humanity on a new house located at 1517 Bower St., Elkhart. Agency contact: Monica Brooks, (574) 533-6109.

Assistant Campus Minister Jason Harrison, coordinator of this event, said, “Celebrate Service Day is on opportunity for students and employees at Goshen College to live out their commitment to being servant leaders in our community. This service flows out of the joy of being blessed and loved by Christ.”

Though this is one day of the year set aside by the campus for doing 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. And 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.