Photos from the Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley site on Thursday on their Facebook page-https://www.facebook.com/habitatlehighvalley/photos_stream.

First-year student Tori '17 offered the following reflection on the final day of service with Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley.

 

On our last day, August 22, of The 1742 Experience, my team “MO,CO” volunteered for Habitat of Humanity. Habitat for Humanity is an international organization that builds houses for the less fortunate, in other words people who are having difficulties affording to pay mortgage bills and other finances. They built houses for some families in Africa that currently reside in Bethlehem.

At first, for me I was a bit nervous because I have no experience in that field of building and construction, but the people there really helped me and my other teammates to get accustomed fast and taught us a lot about the basic facts of construction and I had so much fun.

At the end of the day I learnt so much about building, how to hammer a nail and other construction stuff that I will definitely use later on. Despite it was raining that day it didn’t stop the progress we made.
 

Celebration Dinner Photos

Team MO,CO

Team Avengers

2013 Student Leadership Team

Post submitted by first-year student, Curtis '17.

            Today Team Avengers took off on their last adventure for The 1742 experience. It began with a rainy and very humid morning breakfast at 7:15 sharp to be followed by a stroll on the bus to Calypso Elementary School. Here, like earlier in the week, the Avengers had to implement the 7 steps to success in this school as well, but in a different way. A bulletin board was to be erected so that the entire public could see it. After burning edges of yellow paper, far too much glitter glue and sequins and mathematics by our very one Gautam '17, the Avengers had made a giant 3D treasure map of the 7 Steps to success for all to enjoy. Afterward, with garbage bags over their bodies to protect them from the rain, they walked to Trinity Episcopal Church to work in the soup kitchen where anywhere from 100 to 150 people are served lunch within an hour’s time. They organized, unpacked and served food for these people with many smiles.  They even were able to try the very meal they were serving to their customers- it was very good, of course. After leaving the soup kitchen with a realization of appreciation for the necessities they may take for granted, they had embarked to the Bethlehem Area Public Library Main Branch where they would clean many toys, organize books, take old tags off books and begin making ghost and bat cut outs for the upcoming months activities at the library. Some of them even followed the librarian into the allergy ridden basement to dust and tidy up items down there. After all was done, they had finally finished the day’s tasks. Though it was the last day of service for the community, it was filled to the brim with projects for the Avengers to conquer. 

First-Year Students participated in a scavenger hunt around campus and on Main St. on Wednesday night. One team ran found an item on the list with President Grigsby's newly adopted greyhound--find a pedestrian, bonus points if they have a pet!

 

 

 

 

 

Students at the Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley Women's Build Today

The following post is from Taylor '17, first-year program participant.

In our nightly meeting Tuesday night, our team leaders said we would be working with elderly people and young children (both of which I do not have experience with) at the local YMCA on Wednesday morning. When they said that I was very nervous and kept thinking “What do I do with little kids? ” “What do I talk to people about who are four times my age?” “What if…? What if…? What if…?” but once I walked through the YMCA doors and got talking to ninety two year old Mary in her pink knitted sweater, I definitely calmed down.  She came and sat down next to me and starting talking and told me about her life, everything from her attending Moravian College many years ago, her nursing job at St Luke’s Hospital and even her daughter’s exciting trip to Rwanda fifteen years ago! After we talked for about an hour we went upstairs for the senior exercise class, which was a combination of jazzercise, lifting and just moving around! Seeing Mary and her friends getting into it made me, as well as other members of The 1742 Experience, smile, laugh and even get more into it ourselves!  After their class, as we were saying goodbye, Mary said “Good luck with your major and come back to visit!” and gave me a hug as if I were her actual granddaughter, which was so sweet of her.

In the afternoon after we ate our bagged lunches, we played with children (ages of seven to nine).  We went outside and played many games including relay races, ships and sailors, and rock tree bridge but also went swimming inside. I’ve never seen anyone with as much energy as these young kids had, never getting tired, even when chasing us on the grass and dunking us under water! Getting out of the pool and ready to leave all the little kids came up to us and gave us hugs wanting us to stay longer, which was a marvelous feeling.

            With this experience being my real first time interacting with elderly people and younger kids I can honestly say that I enjoyed it and will definitely volunteer again! It was great to see the look on peoples faces, whether if it was from an ninety two year old woman telling me about her family, or a seven year old boy telling me about his favorite baseball team, just learning about new people felt amazing and I can’t wait to volunteer in the community again in the near future. 

The post below is from team leader, Jenn '14.

 

On Tuesday, Team MOCO (Team B) spent the morning planning an activity for the following day's service at Moravian Village, a retirement community in Bethlehem.  We worked together to plan a skit for the senior citizens that focused on the stereotypes of our generation.  We focused on the following stereotypes:  the reality tv wannabe, the nerd, the Southern Gentry, the hipster, the cheerleader/valley girl, and the jock.  We decided to focus the skit around the idea of a talk show, so we had two co-hosts, and an audience.  

Following that, we did a couple of team builders and ice breakers to pass the time before we enjoyed our lunch.  We worked together to form and undo a human knot.  The team worked really hard for about twenty minutes before we all decided that we were not going to be able to undo the knot.  After we unattached our hands, we realized that it was because we were in two groups and were literally tangled!

For lunch, our student coordinator Sam '15 delivered wraps from Johnny's Bagels, a local shop on Main Street.  We enjoyed our lunches in the courtyard in the HUB. 

After lunch, our team travelled to the Kemerer Museum to do some landscaping work.  We were immediately put to work pulling out weeds and helping the make the outside appearance of the museum look fantastic!  We finished up the work they had planned for us, and were even able to start some work out back.  By the time we left, there were close to no weeds!

Around 4:00, Team MOCO went for a walking tour of Bethlehem with a woman from the Historic Bethlehem Society.  We learned a lot about both Bethlehem and Moravian's rich histories and where our school and city's roots came from.  Then we walked to Broad Street to enjoy our dinner at Hello Burrito.  After our exhausting day, we enjoyed a few games back on campus, while bonding with the other team.  

As a team leader, I feel responsible to announce how absolutely incredible my team is to work with.  Everyone works so hard and so diligently, and they don't even stop for breaks.  The members all work so well with one another and are so respectful.  I could not be happier to work with this select group of incoming students, and I am even more excited to see and hear about how they grow as student leaders at Moravian College!