A group of 17 students and staff from King’s College will be spending Spring Break in Clintwood, Va., working with the Saint Joseph’s Housing Repair Program – the project is managed by the Sisters of the Holy Cross and is an outreach of Saint Joseph’s Parish. It is one of several churches in the area that has formed a ministerial association to meet some of the needs of the local residents. The housing program offers low income families home repairs and provides an opportunity for student groups to come to the area to learn the social, political, economic and cultural aspects of life in central Appalachia.
University of Portland students will spend their upcoming Spring break – March 11-17 – traveling to Arizona to learn about immigration issues and border policies. On the “Border Plunge” trip, the 17 students will team up with organizations such as Humane Borders and Borderlinks to receive firsthand accounts and information about immigration issues. The trip is sponsored by the University’s Moreau Center for Service and Leadership.
The Moreau Center’s Border Plunge is a service-learning trip that takes students to Tucson, Arizona to learn about immigration issues. The students will explore these issues from both sides of the spectrum. They will examine the root causes and effects of the issues that surround border policies. During the week-long trip, they will visit immigration shelters, factories, and court trials, as well as speak with border patrol officials.
The Moreau Center, named after the Blessed Basil Moreau the founder of Holy Cross, supports the development of spiritually aware students committed to the common good. Through ongoing service-learning programs, the center offers students a chance to learn about the positive effects of community service, volunteerism, and communal and global leadership. The center provides students hands-on service opportunities throughout Portland, ranging from tutoring at-risk youth and feeding local homeless families to installing food gardens at local schools. Its domestic and international service-learning trips provide a transformational experience to students on their journey to learn about and respond to the needs of the world.
