Hayley Martinez, of San Jose, Spends Spring Break Volunteering in Trenton on an Assumption College SEND Trip

2017 Mar 17

The Assumption College Office of Campus Ministry has announced that Hayley Martinez, of San Jose, spent spring break volunteering on one of the College's SEND Service Immersion Trips. Martinez traveled to Trenton. In Trenton, NJ, students participated in a retreat facilitated by an organization called FaithJustice. Students served at a social justice education center, which, according to their website, provides a transformative experience of faith in action, builds community, serves those in need, educates for justice, and empowers people to change the world. They also spent time helping strengthen the local community by volunteering at the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen; Visitation Home, a faith-based community dedicated to helping disabled adults; Carolyn Stokes Preschool; and UIH Family Partners, an organization that empowers fathers.

As part of the College's Campus Ministry Office's SEND Service Immersion Program, established in 1986, the students-accompanied by faculty, staff and alumni-have the opportunity to directly impact communities through volunteer work. SEND participants bond with fellow peers, faculty, staff, and alumni while working side-by-side to rebuild neighborhoods, gain new cultural perspective, and engage in prayer activities that reflect on ideals rooted in the Assumptionist tradition. This spring, SEND partnered with organizations like Catholic Charities, Habitat for Humanity, and Ministry of Presence sites.

During spring break, which was March 6-10, students traveled to Baltimore, MD; Georgetown, DE; Immokalee, FL; Norristown, PA; Trenton, NJ; and Washington, D.C.

"Our hope for the students participating in SEND is that they begin to view service as an opportunity to build relationships with others in ways that recognize our shared human dignity and call us to a life of faith in action," said Vincent Sullivan-Jacques, assistant director of Campus Ministry and director of volunteer outreach and community engagement.

The SEND Immersion Program instills in each participant a mission to serve, which is at the core of Assumption's foundations in the Catholic Tradition. For more about Campus Ministry, visit http://www.assumption.edu/campus-life/campus-ministry.