College students to lend a hand in San Antonio

HUNTINGTON, IN -- Eleven Huntington College students are planning to spend their spring break, March 15-24, in San Antonio's inner city. The trip is being organized by the College's Joe Mertz Center for Volunteer Service and SALSA (San Antonio Learning through Service and Action).

The students will seek to serve the needs of the urban population of the central Texas city. The group will work closely with Inner City Development, a west side community center that provides a variety of services to surrounding neighborhoods. Huntington College students will assist with recreation programs, tutoring, emergency food distribution, and repair and maintenance projects.

Student volunteers will spend the week at La Casa de Maria y Marta learning about the challenges of urban life. They will also take a day trip to the U.S. Mexican border.

Dr. Joseph Ricke, professor of English at Huntington College, and his wife Lynn, will accompany the students on the trip. Student volunteers include:

• Laura Baker, a junior chemistry major from Martinsville, Indiana
• Blair Dowden III, a sophomore chemistry major from Huntington, Indiana
• Jessica Ellenwood, a sophomore educational ministries major from Akron, Indiana
• Amanda Gordon, a sophomore communication major from Churubusco, Indiana
• Karen Heinold, a junior psychology major from Kouts, Indiana
• Rachel Kneubuhler, a freshman business major from Harlan, Indiana
• Julia Koch, a sophomore history major from Fredericksburg, Texas
• Missy Myers, a post-graduate student from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
• Brent Rector, a sophomore communication major from Montpelier, Indiana
• Jodi Traynor, a senior educational ministries major from Naperville, Illinois
• Leisa Wurm, a junior elementary education major from Decatur, Indiana

The students raised money needed for the trip by participating in a rock-a-thon and by receiving donations by fellow students, faculty, and members of the Huntington community.

The trip to San Antonio is just one of many projects organized this spring by Huntington College's Joe Mertz Center for Volunteer Service. Last year the Center mobilized student volunteers for more than 7,000 hours of community service, including the construction of a home for the Huntington chapter of Habitat for Humanity. This year, Joe Mertz Center leaders hope to organize 10,000 hours of student volunteer service. The Center's many volunteer projects are one way students can serve Christ and his Creation, a central purpose of Huntington College.

Huntington College was founded in 1897 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. For nearly 100 years, Huntington College has offered high-quality academic programs to equip men and women to impact our world for Christ. The four-year liberal arts college offers graduate and undergraduate programs in nearly 50 fields of study. Located on a contemporary, wooded campus in Huntington, Indiana, the College is among the fastest growing members of the Coalition for Christian Colleges and Universities.