Newman Club provides help and hope during service trip to Harrisburg

A group of Alfred State and Alfred University students within the Newman Club made a positive impact on a neighborhood in need recently during a weekend service trip to Harrisburg, PA.

Throughout the weekend of Feb. 16-17, the group worked in conjunction with Wildheart Ministries in its “Love the Hill” inner-city initiative for one of Harrisburg’s most needy neighborhoods, Allison Hill. On Saturday of the trip, the group provided community cleanup, worked to restore buildings in need of repair, and cleaned vacant lots, according to Chris Yarnal, campus minister.

“We also participated in food distribution to the needy in the neighborhood,” Yarnal said. “On Sunday, we worked with the Shalom House, a women and children emergency shelter, on various projects around the House.”

The Newman Club serves both Alfred State and Alfred University campuses, providing students with a fun environment for personal, spiritual, and social growth rooted in the Catholic faith. The club exists to develop a sense of community among all different types of students, as well as serve the surrounding community.

In addition to Yarnal, those who attended the trip included Cassandra Tkaczow, assistant campus minister; Alfred State students Jacob Minkel, mechanical engineering technology, Attica; Kelly Guillon, business administration, New York City; and Vicky Pham, engineering science, Rochester; and Alfred University students Roeshawn Daniels, Sam Gomez, Shannon Ortega, Andrew Adams, and Andrew King.

While they helped make a difference in the lives of those in need, the students themselves noted their experiences on the trip had a big impact on them, as well.

Minkel said of the trip, “It made me more grateful for my family and the life I have been given.”

Daniels said, “It really opened my eyes to the poverty that exists in our area of the country.”