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Freshman Mary Ramsuier of Wooster, Ohio, pulls weeds at the Boys and Girls Club in Goshen during Goshen College’s Celebrate Service Day. SAM HOUSEHOLDER | The Goshen News

September 21, 2011

Goshen College students give back to community during 'Celebrate Service' event

By ROD ROWE THE GOSHEN NEWS The Goshen News Wed Sep 21, 2011, 11:40 PM EDT

GOSHEN — “Culture for Service” is the Goshen College motto. On Wednesday, it was also a plan of action.

Around 180 Goshen College first-year students joined forces in the college’s 13th annual day of service to the community.

Groups of students and staff went to nine sites in Goshen and Elkhart as part of the “Celebrate Service” effort. They helped build a home with Habitat for Humanity, prepared food and other items at service agencies, worked on landscaping at the Goshen Boys and Girls Club and Elkhart’s Roosevelt Center, and helped set up for this weekend’s Mennonite Relief Sale at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds.

Students gladly volunteered and said they felt good after the day’s work.

“We did it because we are service-oriented,” said Melanie Hertzler, Goshen. “It was a lot of hard work and there was heavy stuff to carry, but we also could talk to people and have fun.” She was part of the group that worked at the fairgrounds.

“You see what you did and feel good about it,” said Micah Helmuth, Goshen. “We set up 1,000 chairs at the relief sale. I took a picture of the chairs.”

“I went to Roosevelt Center and pulled weeds,” said Nereida Jimenez, Crown Point. “It was neat to see that people wanted to save the building,” she added, after learning the history of the former schoolhouse.

Service-oriented

Angel Reyes of North Webster said he and his group went to Church Community Service where they organized food shelves and even accepted donations Wednesday.

“We put on an apron and they told us what to do,” he began. “I have always been service-oriented. I was in Boy Scouts for 12 years.

“I haven’t been doing it (volunteering) enough, but I don’t know what is enough. We did it in the middle of college, with tests this Friday. We can still do good and give back to the community. The director at CCS said something today. He said ‘We are where we are because of what people gave to us.’ I saw it. I am a first-generation college student. I am where I am because of other people.”

Yohaan Varghese of India added that he worked at Feed the Children, packing personal care items to be given away.

“Although we did not directly meet the people (being helped), it was good knowing we were helping people today,” Varghese said. He said his crew packed 1,320 personal care boxes.

The work of the big crew that “thoroughly cleaned” the inside of the Boys and Girls Club and pulled weeds in the landscaping was appreciated by the staff.

“We are extremely appreciative to have them help,” said James Cramer, program director. It was a big project, he said, and the crew worked until 2 p.m.

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