The sun had just started to rise when 15 students from the University Honors Program and Learning Communities climbed into the back of two large passenger vans destined for Kansas City.
Despite the early morning, the students were excited to be embarking on the Honors Program’s inaugural fall break service trip. The trip took students to volunteer at Habitat for Humanity and the Kansas City Zoo Oct. 20-21.
At Habitat for Humanity, students helped at the ReStore, a discount home improvement store that uses profits to build and repair homes in Kansas City.
The students' service ran the gamut from unloading, organizing and pricing donations to assisting customer needs.
"It was cool to help their discount store where people who can’t afford home improvement supplies from large stores can find stuff to improve their homes," Kit Menzia, a first-year insect science major, said. "Organizations like Habitat for Humanity make it easy to make a difference in people’s lives.”
At the Kansas City Zoo, the students helped the Zoo’s horticulture team with upkeep of the grounds. One group of students dug up and repotted plants that needed to be moved inside for the winter, and another dug holes along the tram pathways for other plants.
“It was fulfilling to work outside and to help the zoo staff,” Zuri Moore, a first-year biological sciences major, said. “Everyone was very supportive, and I learned the importance of working together to support your community. Many hands make light work, so it was rewarding to see the impact we had!”
The Zoo expressed their gratitude for all the help the students provided by gifting students with small potted plants to take home.
The students on the trip found their contributions to the Kansas City community rewarding and enlightening.
“Volunteering has opened my perspective to meeting new people and going to new places. The things I learned on this trip I can apply to help people back home,” Caleb Nierman, first-year computer science major, said.
Other students were also inspired to find ways to get involved in their home communities.
“Volunteering in Kansas City showed me how much I like to help people and inspired me to do more in my local community,” Lilly Pannier, a first-year international business major, said.
