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Annual Service Trip Provides Hurricane Relief and Brings Students Together

Over Thanksgiving break, twenty Bryn Athyn College students traveled to Pearlington, Mississippi to provide hurricane relief. Students helped with a number of projects, including installation of siding, construction of playground equipment, reconfiguring electrical wiring, and spackeling drywall.

This year included a particularly diverse group of students— service trip participants hail from Canada, France, Lesotho, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. The trip was supported and planned by Bryn Athyn's student-run community service organization, C.A.R.E.

"This year, in my opinion, was one of the best yet. We had a group that bonded almost immediately, and was very flexible, boisterous, and chipper. Any of the 20 participants were perfectly happy to spend time working and joking together.... I really can't express how much I love this trip; the locals are so friendly and appreciative of your time, and there is no better opportunity for making friendships in the happy afterglow of performing service to your neighbors and to God. It's a beautiful opportunity for which I am always grateful to be attending Bryn Athyn College. That sounds cheesy, but it's actually all true."

– Abigail Kruger '10, Education Major, Glenview, Illinois

Past service trips have taken students to Florida, Arizona, Cape Cod, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Bahamas. Service Learning plays a central role in the education of every student at Bryn Athyn College, and service trips are one of the most adventurous aspects of service.

Service trip give students the opportunity to combine travel and cultural experiences with organizational planning and hard work, providing the chance for increased understanding of another culture and the priceless opportunity to connect with people from other places.