A group of incoming freshmen are working with Habitat for Humanity, the Burlington Housing Authority and other local organizations as part of Pre-SERVE, hosted by the Kernodle Center for Service Learning. Details...
The group of 12 incoming freshmen and 2 student leaders got to work early on Tuesday morning, July 11 at a Habitat worksite on Herman Blue Court in northeast Burlington. Working with construction staff from Habitat, the group was quickly busy with roofing and siding work on the future home of Jose and Magdelana Cabral.
Rainey Bezila of Allison Park, Pa., will enroll at Elon this fall. She said she was excited to be chosen to take part in Pre-SERVE, since she was active in service work in high school.
“I wanted to find out what the opportunities were here for me to be involved in some kind of service work,” says Bezila. “It’s also turned out to be a great way to meet new people. We’ve all gotten along well and it will be nice to see some familiar faces when we get here in August.”
The group arrived Sunday and will spend a total of 20 hours over three days at the Habitat worksite. They have also visited Loaves & Fishes food bank and the Burlington Housing Authority. On Friday, the group will spend the day at the Boys and Girls Club before Pre-SERVE concludes Saturday.
J.J. Scott, N.C. Campus Compact VISTA, said the week is “intense” and helps students learn about the ways they can serve others in the community. “We look for aptitude and the desire to put yourself out there when we screen the applicants for this program,” says Scott. “These students work hard, but it is also very rewarding for them.”