A group of nine Elizabethtown College students and two staff members recently traveled to Georgia and Alabama to participate in community service by volunteering for Habitat for Humanity as part of the Center for Community and Civic Engagement’s (CCCE) Spring Break Service Trip from March 1 through 7.
“This experience empowered students by allowing them to connect the Elizabethtown College Educate for Service motto to a real-world impact,” Elizabethtown College Director of CCCE Javita Thompson said. “The trip fostered a sense of responsibility, compassion, social awareness, and overall individual growth that will follow them for years after this experience.”
Thompson led the trip, along with CCCE Program Coordinator Leda Werner. The group first traveled to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to work with Habitat for Humanity Tuscaloosa on a home build site. Their work included carpentry and construction tasks like spackling and painting trim and doors, exterior house painting, and installing cabinetry in the kitchen. The group used various power tools to cut and install wood for the projects.
“As an Etown student, I believe we should embody our Educate for Service motto,” Social Work major Royale Langhorne ’28 said. “There’s no better way to do this than by engaging in service activities. Each service opportunity teaches us something new while allowing us to contribute positively to our own communities and others.”
The group also partnered with local organizations to explore the history of civil rights through tours, museums, and walks through important sites.
“I believe community aid is made more effective by an informed understanding of the people you’re helping and their conditions,” Political Science major Nick Wiley ’25 said. “Attending a group trip like this is just one step in that.”
