Ridgefield native Michelle David will be traveling to next week during Stonehill College's spring break as apart of its H.O.P.E. Service Immersion Program.
The West Virginia HOPE trip is focused on the issues of sustainability, environmental justice, poverty, and elderly care. In West Virginia, hydraulic fracturing or fracking, mountain top removal, and lack of access to food are some of the key issues that surround the area. The land is commonly exploited and the people who live there often have to suffer from this exploitation because West Virginia is rich in natural resources, . The state also has an extremely high elderly population, many of whom have no caretakers near by. Participants of the West Virginia trip, will work with the Appalachian Institute at Wheeling Jesuit University to learn about these issues and the true value of community. Additionally, they will give their services to a variety of programs such as a community run garden, food pantries, soup kitchens, elderly care facilities and many others.
Students who participate in the H.O.P.E. program form community with one another during the five months leading up to their trip. They learn about the culture, history and issues of social injustice in the communities they are destined to visit and serve.
- Honoring our neighbor
- Organizing for justice
- Practicing peace
- Encountering God
Upon their return, students are encouraged to reflect on their experiences and to integrate the pursuit of social justice into their day-to-day lives.
Stonehill College is a selective Catholic college located near Boston on a beautiful 384-acre campus in Easton, Massachusetts. With a student-faculty ratio of 13:1, the College engages over 2,500 students in 80+ rigorous academic programs in the liberal arts, sciences, and pre-professional fields. The Stonehill community helps students to develop the knowledge, skills, and character to meet their professional goals and to live lives of purpose and integrity.
Photograph from Stonehill College website.