Elizabethtown College’s Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE) led seven students on the annual Spring Break Service Trip from Feb. 28 through March 6, traveling to Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee to participate in community service projects and civic learning activities.
Stops included students volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in Tuscaloosa, Ala., to support a home build project. The Blue Jays worked together and learned new skills to complete exterior home improvements. In Selma, Ala. the group joined local Councilwoman Jannie Thomas in a clean-up project at Edmund Pettus Bridge, as well as had an opportunity to meet the Mayor of the City of Selma, Johnny “Skip” Moss, III.
“This service trip was a memorable experience to connect action with understanding by learning from the people and communities being served,” Brennan Ruppert ’28, a Civil Engineering major participating in his second CCCE Service Trip, said.
CCCE Student Office Assistant and Biology major McKenzie Laity ’27 played a significant role in the organization of the trip by planning the trip’s itinerary and leading the group through activities.
“Being able to attend and lead this service trip again is a highlight of my spring semester,” Laity said. “Spending my break surrounded by like-minded people who want to make the same impact as me in communities outside of our own is not only rewarding but also builds my interpersonal relationships with my peers. No matter how many times I attend this trip, there will always be more to discover, not only relating to the Civil Rights Movement, but also within the development of my own personal skills and attitudes.”
The group also visited various civil rights museums and sites to connect service, history, and reflection. This marked the CCCE’s third annual spring break trip centered on civil rights and service learning.
The CCCE is part of a collective of programs belonging to Etown’s Institute for Engagement, Mission, and Impact. Through collaborative learning, meaningful dialogue, and community-driven action, the Institute fosters a campus culture centered on inclusion, service, and advocacy. Discover more.
