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Students volunteer in flood-affected area of Minnesota

FOR RELEASE October 24, 2007

Back row from left: Luke Haglund, Brooke Taylor, Brittany Crook, Krista Johnson; Front row from left: Sam Han, Michelle Antus, Adam Shoemaker, Andy Simmons

HUNTINGTON, IN—Over Huntington University’s Fall Break on Oct. 15-16, eight students went with the Joe Mertz Center for Volunteer Service to Rushford, Minn., to help with flood relief projects. 

The trip was led by Adam Shoemaker, a senior not-for-profit business major from Sheridan, Ind. Shoemaker is the student director of the JMC.

Rushford, a town of approximately 1,700 people, was devastated by a flood in mid-August. Students helped put a new roof on a business, drywall Root River Church, tear out plaster and rip off siding. They also assisted with removing carpet and tile, painting, cleaning the local grocery and installing a vent at the local pizza shop. 

Adam Shoemaker (left) and Sam Han lift a pizza oven. Luke Haglund stands behind the oven, and Andy Simmons is in the front.  The man in the navy blue hoodie owns the pizza place.

The group stayed with Krista Johnson’s family who lives just outside of Rushford. Johnson is a freshman majoring in worship leadership. Members of Root River Church provided the group with meals for the trip. The students who went on the trip included the following:

• Michelle Antus, a sophomore graphic design major from Mansfield, Ohio

• Brittany Crook, a sophomore elementary education major from Decatur, Ind.

• Brooke Taylor, a junior missions major from Hamilton, Ohio

• Krista Johnson, a freshman worship leadership major from Rushford, Minn.

  From front on the left side: Sam Han, Brittany Crook, Adam Shoemaker Right side: Andy Simmons, Krista Johnson, and Michelle Antus; the group is removing floor tile.

• Adam Shoemaker, a senior not-for-profit business major from Sheridan, Ind.

• Luke Haglund, a sophomore middle grades language arts major from Van Buren, Ind.

• Sam Han, a freshman undecided major from Indonesia

• Andy Simmons, a freshman mathematics education major from Butler, Ind.

Founded in 1992, the Joe Mertz Center for Volunteer Service has become an integral part of Huntington University campus life. During the 2006-2007 academic year, students, faculty and staff volunteered for more than 12,397.5 hours, serving more than 50 families, organizations and programs.

Huntington University’s Joe Mertz Center for Volunteer Service is a student-directed organization that mobilizes the campus community for Christian service. The JMC aims to involve students in the local community, instill a lifelong tendency toward service and promote the idea that one person can make a difference. The Joe Mertz Center has been listed as an exemplary program in the John Templeton Foundation Honor Roll of Character-Building Colleges.

Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. U.S.News & World Report ranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest. Founded in 1897 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Huntington University is located on a contemporary, lakeside campus in northeast Indiana. The University is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).

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