College orientation will again include community service
FOR RELEASE: Wednesday, August 26, 1998
HUNTINGTON, IN--- In addition to the usual hustle-bustle of college orientation weekend " buying books, finding classrooms, decorating dorm rooms " Huntington College freshmen and transfer students will participate in a half-day of community service. The Sixth Annual Volunteer Plunge is sponsored by the College's Joe Mertz Center for Volunteer Service. On Monday, August 30, 19 teams of students will fan out across Huntington County to meet the needs of their new neighbors.
The student teams will assemble on campus at 12:45 p.m. in front of the Habecker Dining Commons to receive instructions from student, staff, and faculty leaders. The groups will then disperse to perform a wide variety of work projects throughout the community. Projects will be completed between 1 and 5 p.m.
[See attached list of locations and projects.]
"By having the Volunteer Plunge, our students are shown that the school and the student body is " and needs to be " connected to the community," says Dr. Norris Friesen, vice president for student development. "This is an act of putting feet to our faith. The students also get to know each other and work together in an informal setting. That is what the Plunge is all about."
This year's event is being coordinated by the College's volunteer center and the local United Way. Huntington College student Sarah Hays explains, "United Way agencies know where there are needs in our community; we can provide the people to do the work. Pat Horoho, United Way executive director, first approached me about it in the spring. We have met several times over the summer to plan the event. We thought it was a good way for Huntington College and United Way to work together to benefit the community."
Huntington College's Joe Mertz Center for Volunteer Service is a student-directed organization that mobilizes the campus community for Christian service. The Joe Mertz Center 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.
Founded in 1992, the Joe Mertz Center has become an integral part of Huntington College campus life. Many students, faculty and staff give generously of their time and talent. Last year, 13,000 hours of labor were contributed by the campus community.
Huntington College was founded in 1897. Located on a contemporary, lakeside campus in Huntington, Indiana, the Christian college offers graduate and undergraduate degrees in nearly 50 academic concentrations.
