Elon's Pre-SERVE freshmen are on campus July 11-16 getting involved in the local community and forming bonds with their new classmates. Details...
For one group of 12 rising Elon freshmen, memories of their first taste of college life will always include particleboard, a lot of hammering and temperatures reaching well into the 90s.
The group is taking part in Pre-SERVE, an event hosted by the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Elon Volunteers!. The six male and six female students live in campus housing from July 11-16 and get a firsthand look at the opportunities they will have to serve the local community during their years at Elon. Throughout the week, the group will be working on a Habitat for Humanity house on Quintas Ave. in Burlington, N.C. Lea Williams, a rising freshman from Bristol, Tenn., says she is excited about the chance to serve her new community.
“I was active in my community by volunteering, and I just wanted to get involved in the Elon community,” she says. “I’m excited. It’s kind of tough, but I’m looking forward to seeing this come together.”
Throughout the week, student coordinators Casey Lobdell and Dawson Heath, help lead the group, and also encourage reflection on each day’s events. Lobdell, who took part in the program last year as a rising freshman, says the experience he had last year was valuable because it gave him the opportunity to bond with other students to make a difference.
“I love just coming out here and swinging a hammer,” he says. That’s just fun to me. Just coming out and meeting the homeowners and seeing the smile on their faces, that’s what it’s all about.”
During the week, the students will also pay visits to the Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Alamance County, as well as Blakey Hall, a local retirement community. They will also take part in other activities to introduce them to the Elon community, including ropes course activities and meeting with members of the university’s administration.