CONWAY, Ark. (March 26, 2013) - A group of Hendrix students participated in a mission trip to Epworth at the Sea, Ga., during Spring Break 2013.
Student participants included:
- Drew Ahlgrim
- Kathryn Armstrong
- Susie Burton
- Hanna French
- Ieshea Goree
- Joseph Korkames
- Kelsi McClure
- JillAnn Meunier
- Katie Scott
- Trey Signorelli
- Ples Spradley
Students were accompanied by Hendrix Chaplain Rev. J. Wayne Clark, as well as Pamela Owen, associate vice president of alumni and constituent engagement, and Vicki Sutton of the Hendrix-Miller Center for Vocation, Ethics, and Calling and the Chaplain's Office.
Students joined a group of nearly 40 volunteers in building 100 feet of oyster shell reef at Terry Creek in Overlook Park. To accomplish this, they formed an assembly line and passed 15-pound mesh bags of old shells to the creek bed to make a home for baby oysters called spats. The reef created will also provide a buffer to help protect marsh grasses and to keep the park's bank from washing away.
In addition to the oyster project, which was one day, the group worked three mornings for Faith Works, a non-profit run by a United Methodist minister that works primarily with the poor. Faith Works has a food pantry, clothing ministry, shower ministry, etc. The Hendrix group cleaned yards and painted. In the afternoon, they worked for Safe Harbor, a shelter for abused and homeless children and youth. The group did painting and general cleanup to help Safe Harbor get ready for a grant review and, when the kids got out of school, we played with them.
"The Miller Center mission trip to Epworth by the Sea was an absolutely phenomenal experience," said Ples Spradley, a junior biochemistry/molecular biology major from Little Rock, Ark. "We helped others and received wisdom and life experiences in return all while exploring service as a vocation. With a great group of people, we made new friends and learned from one another. Personally, the mission trip showed me that my future vocation involves serving and working with others on a face-to-face basis."
"This was the best spring break I could have ever asked for! I made lots of new friends, learned the true nature of what it means to serve and offer hospitality, and had a blast doing it," said Kathryn Armstrong, a junior psychology major from Pine Bluff, Ark. "Also, I can now take oyster bagging off my bucket list!"
Founded in 1876, Hendrix College is a national leader in engaged liberal arts and sciences education. For the fifth consecutive year, Hendrix was named one of the country's "Up and Coming" liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report. Hendrix is featured in the 2012 edition of the Princeton Review as one of the country's best 377 colleges, the latest edition of Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think about Colleges, Forbes magazine's annual list of America's Top 650 Colleges, and the 2013 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.