Students to help D.C. on break

While Panama City and Daytona are the hot spots for some, a group of Franklin College students are choosing a different destination and purpose for spring break.

Leaving on Saturday, a group of eight led by Campus Minister Rev. David Weatherspoon will go to Washington D.C. on a missions trip which will benefit more than just one cause including women’s shelters, and food pantries and kitchens.  Their seven-day adventure will include preparing meals for the Calvary Women’s Shelter and Pathways, which is also their place of residence while on the trip.

Weatherspoon said he wasn’t surprised about the willingness and eagerness of Franklin College students to go on a missions trip during their week break.
 
In the last few years, he’s seen the overwhelming response of the college in helping others.  Last year, one in 20 students went to help with Katrina relief, said Weatherspoon.

“Our campus isn’t hard to convince people.  Once they have an appetite, they want to go again.”

An example of this is seen in sophomore Ellie Farmer who is excited about the upcoming mission work.  She has gone on previous trips with Habitat for Humanity and was involved in other summer trips during her high school years.

“For me missions work isn’t a do-gooder deed, something I’ll get patted on the shoulder or recognized for later, it’s something I really enjoy. I honestly feel that I am at my best and am happiest when I am serving others.”

Freshman Heidi Holderness also knows this feeling.

“I like being involved in the community and helping the community,” said Holderness.

Holderness was also a part of the inner-city missions class during winter term where a group of students went to Indianapolis to help with different organizations.

“I’m looking forward to staying in the women’s shelter and actually getting to experience what the people go through,” said Holderness.

While helping the community, the students will also have time for sightseeing.

“It’s neat to show new people around the nation’s capitol,” said Weatherspoon.

There is even a possibility of Sen. Richard Lugar personally seeing them around the city for a tour.

The group of students going will not only help others but will be able to learn from each other.  Most members of the group have never met one another.  It’s a diverse set of freshman, sophomores, and juniors.
 
“I am really looking forward to the relationships I will be able to form, and the new friends I will be able to meet, both with students and the people we will be working with,” Farmer said.