Spring Break Service in Washington, D.C.
Ten Buena Vista University students participated in an Alternative Week of Off-site Learning trip during spring break, enabling them to volunteer their time and service with a focus on inner city poverty and homelessness outreach in Washington D.C.
Ten Buena Vista University students participated in an AWOL (Alternative Week of Off-site Learning) trip during spring break, enabling them to volunteer their time and service with a focus on inner city poverty and homelessness outreach in Washington D.C.
BVU students concerned with helping fight the war on poverty traveled to Washington D.C. and partnered with the Steinbruck Center, where they attended several educational workshops about the underlying issues within the community they served. They dove into what poverty and homelessness looks like, how it is caused, structural racism and its outcomes and participated in a poverty simulation. Their hands-on service efforts involved helping at DC Central Kitchen, Capital Area Food Bank, Martha’s Table, N-Street Women's Shelter and the Craft Collective. Each of these experiences allowed them to connect with individuals and serve those experiencing homelessness in Washington D.C. They also had an opportunity to learn about global and national events by visiting sites in the city, including the Holocaust Memorial Museum, Arlington Cemetery, the White House, and the Smithsonian Museums.
Advisors for this experience were Ken Meissner, director of spiritual life at BVU, and Dr. Kristy McClellan, associate professor of biology at BVU.
“I honestly believe that service trips cause our BVU AWOL participants to become well-rounded and well-informed citizens as doors open for them to envision the potential in becoming productive citizens for today as well as for our collective future,” said Meissner. “It is essential to know your neighbor and to be a good neighbor as you live out your faith and purpose on this little plot of earth we call home.”
Student site leader, Tarynne Kinghorn, a senior biology major from Shenandoah, said, “Our trip not only involved serving people experiencing poverty and homelessness, but it also included learning about the causes of the problem. We left Washington D.C. with a deeper knowledge on the issue, and because of our AWOL experience, we are now more equipped to make a lasting, positive change in our own communities.”
Ryan Mellott, a senior biology major from Westminster, Colo., was also a student site leader for the trip. Other students who participated in the inner city poverty AWOL experience were Kassidy Chandler, a sophomore exercise science major from Casey; Nadia Ecyomuhendo, a sophomore biology major from Kigali, Rwanda; Cristena Heschke, a junior elementary education major from Alta; Elizabeth Kim, a senior biology and Spanish major from Fairmont, Minn.; Taylor Loy, a sophomore political science major from Indianola; Amanda Miley, a freshman chemistry and biology major from Independence, Mo.; Jamie Rich, a senior psychology major from Belle Plaine; Hanna Zinn, a senior political science major from Spencer.