OU Students Take an Alternative Fall Break

It may have been fall break, but 30 Ottawa University students will tell you for three days, it was anything but a break. The students took part in an alternative break on October 7, 8 and 9, that afforded them an opportunity to serve the local community. The alternative break was made possible through a collaboration of the Adawe LifePlan Center, OU Career Services, and ECKAN, a local social service agency. In all, the 30 students totaled 105 hours served.

 

Lisa Rivers, the volunteer Coordinator with ECKAN, identified projects with non-profit agencies in the Ottawa area where there was a need for volunteers. Students had a choice building a house for Habitat for Humanity (left), serving families in need at Hope House, preparing backpacks of food for the Communities in Schools Weekend Warriors program, or helping out with children at the Franklin County Daycare. Some members of the Lady Braves Basketball team painted the street signs (below) around campus for the City of Ottawa to reflect its support of Ottawa University.

 

The break began with a kick-off meeting with breakfast, providing a time to orient volunteers to the projects and involving them in an exercise designed to help them understand how families find themselves in need. A reflection on their experience was held at the conclusion of the alternative break, which allowed the students to share what they had learned from their experience and to fill out an evaluation form. The response from those who participated was overwhelmingly positive. 

A big thanks to those who participated in the event, making the event a success for the students, the City of Ottawa, and to those who were served.