Thousands of Volunteer Hours Earns Trinity President’s Honor Roll Recognition

With 21,436 hours of community service logged during the 2010-2011 academic year and 933 Trinity students involved in community service, the College has once again been named to the President’s Honor Roll for Community Service.

Trinity has been named to the list every year since the inception of the Honor Roll, which recognizes colleges and universities nationwide that support innovative community service and service-learning programs.

As a student, Melissa Peterson ’11 volunteered at Hearts in Motion in Highland, Indiana, a medical mission that works in the community and in Central America. Peterson has worked with the organization since 2004 and volunteered almost every day from January through April last year sorting and inventorying medical supplies and sending letters in response to donations. 

As a sociology major, Peterson used the experience to learn more for a future career.

 “The director was nice enough to teach me a bit about running a non-profit,” said Peterson. “She is someone who I admire for not only trying to help with all that she has, but also working with a team to examine the effects of her ministry and trying to improve it.”

Volunteer hours also included time spent at afterschool programs. Students worked with children at Restoration Ministries in Harvey, Illinois, and Roseland Christian Ministries in Chicago. 

Another afterschool program is offered at the local Bridge Teen Center in Orland Park, Illinois. Katie Alberda ’12 of Manhattan, Montana, volunteers there, spending time with the teens and planning programs. Alberda has also taught a furniture refurbishing class for teens.

“I get to hang out, talk and play games while serving,” said Alberda. “Can you ask for a better service opportunity?”

According to Trinity’s Office of Community Partnerships and Service Learning, the service hours were completed through service-learning classes, service spring break trips and Interim courses, service committee and other student-led projects, and the Midwest Campus Compact Citizen-Scholars (M3C) Fellowship program, in which students complete 300 hours of community service and receive an education award.