Students work at Habitat for Humanity’s home build site.
Elizabethtown College students lived out the College’s Educate for Service motto during the Center for Community and Civic Engagement’s (CCCE) annual Fall Break Service Trip on Oct. 10 through 12.
A group of eight Blue Jays stayed on campus during the break to serve those in need at a home build site in Columbia, Pa. with the Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity (LLHH). This year’s service trip held a special connection as the College recently partnered with the LLHH, donating $20,000 to the organization as part of the Make a Deposit, Make a Difference campaign.
“Working with CCCE and Habitat for Humanity allowed me to learn lifelong skills while also providing for my community,” Avery Kelly ’28 said. ”This trip allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and it’s a trip I’ll never forget.”
Students at the LLHH home-build site worked for eight hours each day to help support families in need of safe, warm, and affordable homes.
“Habitat for Humanity provides out-of-classroom learning experiences where students develop unique skills while working for a good cause,” Elizabethtown College Director of the Center for Community and Civic Engagement, Javita Thompson said. “Students regularly say that they came into these service trips with little or no construction experience and left having done things they never would have imagined – from operating a nail gun to putting up siding to hanging mirrors and doors.”
In addition to the home build site, the group also helped organize items at the Habitat ReStore, Habitat for Humanity’s store which sells construction and home renovation equipment for discounted prices.
“Habitat for Humanity provides a really important service to our community by making home ownership available to families,” Thompson said. “We are grateful to be able to help address the housing crisis in our community through our partnership.”
Last year’s fall break service trip was also carried out, in part, at a home-build site for Habitat for Humanity.
