Zachary Sneeringer, of Lowell, Spends Spring Break Volunteering in Florida on an Assumption College SEND Trip

2017 Mar 17

The Assumption College Office of Campus Ministry has announced that Zachary Sneeringer, of Lowell, spent spring break volunteering on one of the College's SEND Service Immersion Trips. Sneeringer traveled to Florida. In Immokalee, FL, students spent their week rehabilitating houses with Habitat for Humanity of Collier County and interacting with the young children at the Guadalupe Center, an organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty and improving life for families in the community. Throughout the service week, students learned about the various social justice issues involved with migrant farm working through action with the Student Farmworker Alliance, which, according to the website, works to cultivate student and youth leadership working to build a vibrant Fair Food community across the nation.

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.