By: Shilesky Montalvo ’19
Staff Writer
While most students went on vacation during spring break, eight students and two staff members went to Washington D.C. on a mission to serve those in poverty.
These students worked with six different service partners of the Youth Service Opportunities Project including: Central Union Mission (which serves men without homes), A Wider Circle (provides home furnishings), Capital Area Food Bank, Reading Partners, Unique Residential Care Center, and D.C. Central Kitchen.
“Throughout the four days, the students took part in meaningful times of reflection and discussion as together they grew their understanding of what these challenges mean in our world,” Jennifer Liedtka, LVC’s service & volunteerism coordinator, said.
The students were separated into two different teams. One team went to the Unique Residential Care Center. Students played games with them, kept company and fed the elderly when help was needed.
“This was one of my favorite parts of the trip,” LaElla Dickerson, a junior criminal justice major, said. “You could tell that the staff really cared about the residents and the place was very lively.”
Valerie Kosson, a freshman music performance major, said she really enjoyed going to Drew Elementary School to assist elementary students with reading. The program, established through Reading Partners gives those students extra attention to their reading performance.
“I was helping a little kid with his reading because he had an individualized reading plan,” Kosson said. “I felt a connection to him because I was able to relate to him.”
On the last day of the trip, the group of LVC students went to D.C. Central Kitchen where they had the opportunity to cook for the homeless. The D.C. Central Kitchen prepares thousands of meals a year.
“The trip was enlightening and makes me inspired to do more,” Dickerson said. “The experience was different than what I was expecting, but it was still very rewarding.”
A presentation that will provide more details about the service trip is scheduled for Tuesday, April 17, at 11 a.m.