A total of 307 Elizabethtown College students participated in the 29th annual Into the Streets community service initiative on Saturday, Oct. 22.
For this year’s theme, students were “Flying” Into the Streets to volunteer and create connections within the broader Etown community. The event was organized by Etown’s Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE).
Fourteen on- and off-campus projects were available for Blue Jay students. They included helping local homes to clean up in preparation for the coming winter, collecting maternity and humanitarian supplies to be sent to those in the community and around the globe, writing thank you cards for military veterans, and assisting local donation centers to organize and process donations. Students had the opportunity to volunteer and work with multiple community organizations such as UNTO, ECHOS Lancaster, and the Lancaster Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore.
Into the Streets allows students to live out Etown’s motto, “Educate For Service,” which is the belief that education is put to its best when used for the benefit of others, and is designed to introduce more students to thoughtful community service and to provide a learning experience that will challenge them to volunteer on a regular basis.
“This year’s Into the Streets will always be one of the most memorable service days of my time at Elizabethtown College, because of the leadership that our student assistants displayed by connecting over 300 students, faculty, and staff to our Elizabethtown community and the lives that they impacted through the projects and activities that they completed,” Javita Thompson, Director of the CCCE said.
Student clubs and organizations also volunteered for the ninth annual GEARS Fall Fest at the Elizabethtown Fairgrounds, an event that provides fun activities for children and families in the community.
“Educating for service is a value that we take seriously at our College and the CCCE has helped facilitate this within my educational career,” Ariea O’Krepka ’25, a Secondary Education and History double major said. “Into the Streets is an event that I look forward to every year and brings me closer to my fellow peers through service.”