News Release
December 2003
(Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) – Moravian College
is taking community service to new heights this fall. Moravian students
have shown their
unwavering dedication and passion for helping others throughout the
fall semester.
Residence Life staff of Moravian College are working with the Volunteer
Center of the Lehigh Valley to generate Holiday Hope Chests for homeless/disadvantaged.
For the second year, over 1,500 Holiday Hope Chests are being assembled,
collected and delivered to the following agencies for distribution:
Boys and Girls Clubs of Allentown and Bethlehem, Girls Club of Allentown,
Turning Point, The Salvation Army of Allentown, New Bethany Ministries
and Catholic Social Agency. Holiday Hope Chests are wrapped shoeboxes,
filled with age appropriate stocking stuffer type goodies.
Since late August, Moravian students have been
busy volunteering their time and helping both the campus and surrounding
communities. During
freshman orientation, approximately 300 new students were introduced
to volunteerism by upperclassmen student leaders and Gamma Sigma (service
sorority) when they “dressed” nearly 7,000 traditional
Moravian Vesper candles used for this year’s services.
Campus community service organizations have also
played a part in the helping and giving process. About 50 Moravian
students are participating
in the America Reads/America Counts program which helps elementary
school children improve in reading, writing, and arithmetic. An additional
12 students are volunteering with community based agencies. This is
the largest group of tutors and community-based volunteers in Moravian’s
history.
The Learning Connection (TLC), Moravian’s
unique mentoring program, is entering its fifth year of existence,
matching 20 mentors
with new fourth graders and welcoming back 5th graders and their mentors.
Experienced mentors share their experiences and expertise with the
newest members of the TLC family to continue the tradition of academic,
social, and behavioral improvements for local children.
Campus Community Connection (C3) held “Boo at the Zoo” in
October in honor of Halloween. Members dressed up and planned activities
for visiting children at the Game Preserve. They also held a “Haunted
Comenius Hall” for neighborhood children. Members are currently
planning soup kitchen activities, and they run a blood donation campaign
every other month (transportation provided). C# along with the TLC
students also helped with the Holiday Hope Chests project.
Fraternities and sororities have also contributed to the community
service of Moravian. Twenty-four art supply boxes were collected for
Turning Point as part of the United Way Day of Caring. Delta Tau Delta
(social fraternity) conducted a dry beruit tournament to raise money
for a community building. Alpha Sigma Alpha (social sorority) participated
at the Center City Ministries soup kitchen. It also collected items
for deployed soldiers.
Residence halls are also joining the action. Residents
of Jo Smith Residence Hall surpassed their goal of collecting 50
old cell phones
and instead received 102 to donate to a local women’s shelter.
The phones will be programmed with one number, 911, in case of an emergency.
Honor societies are getting involved as well. Psi Chi, the National
Psychology Honor Society, is sponsoring a Holiday Book Tree to benefit
the Bethlehem YMCA Kids Kare Program. From December 1-12, a tree standing
in the Haupert Union Building (HUB) will display envelopes containing
book names and prices (all under $10). Donators will enclose the amount
indicated on the envelope, and the money will be used to purchase the
specified book.
Finally, Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), the Leadership Honor Society,
is collecting school supplies for children in Iraq in response to a
plea by U.S. Army Major Softy, 101st, and in honor of the late Chris
Seifert, Moravian graduate and casualty of war.
