Thirty-two students to offer up fall break for benefit of others
Thirty-two students and five faculty and staff members are spending their Thanksgiving break serving others. The university offers three service mission trips covering a variety of academic and professional interests that give students the opportunity to serve both the Greene County community and beyond.
The projects include the Mustard Seed Communities in Jamaica; Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Agency in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; and Habitat for Humanity in Greene County.
Mustard Seed Communities – Jamaica
Ten students will serve the Mustard Seed Communities in Jamaica over Thanksgiving Break. The students will be led by Tom Ribar, Chaplain at Waynesburg University. The mission service team left Sunday, Nov. 20 and will return Saturday, Nov. 26.
This will be the university’s seventh trip to serve with Mustard Seed Communities in Jamaica, and fifth to the Montego Bay location, Blessed Assurance Home. The students will be responsible for various projects related to upkeep on the facility, and for serving the staff and residents of the Mustard Seed home.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Agency -Wilkes-Barre
Seven students, led by Dave Calvario, dean of students and director of the Center for Service Leadership at Waynesburg University, and Jason Falvo, assistant football coach and life skills instructor at Waynesburg University, traveled to the Scranton, Wilkes-Barre area for a five-day service mission trip from Nov. 18 to Nov. 23.
The student mission service team worked to clean up the devastation left by Tropical Storm Lee in September. The group partnered with the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Agency and the Lackawanna Presbytery, one of 16 presbyteries in the Synod of the Trinity and part of the Presbyterian Church USA.
Greene County Habitat for Humanity
Fifteen Waynesburg University students were led by Sarah Brandstetter, coordinator of Bonner Scholars, and Luke Payson, resident director at Waynesburg University, as they served Greene County Habitat for Humanity over a portion of their Thanksgiving break. The Greene County Habitat for Humanity work camp took place Nov. 18 through Nov. 23.
According to Brandstetter, students worked with Greene County Habitat for Humanity on a number of the local affiliate’s current projects including work on a West Waynesburg home and house packages within GCHFH’s warehouse. Students also gained a better understanding of the organization by traveling through the county to see the houses built over the last 25 years.