Anna Maria College Students Serve Others over Winter Break
This winter break, AMC students traveled to Pensacola, FL to help Habitat for Humanity build homes for those in need.
Kneeling left to right: Angela Pinto; Suzanne Pekar; Kirsten Decell; Kristan Richardson; and Elizabeth Casella.
PAXTON, MA – A group of Anna Maria College students spent the last week of their 2016 winter break volunteering in Pensacola, FL, to help its local Habitat for Humanity affiliate build homes for those in need. Anna Maria’s Alternative Winter Break (#AMCAWB) took place January 10-16, 2016.
Joined by two AMC staff members, student volunteers stayed at a local church in Pensacola while immersing themselves in a Habitat for Humanity home-building project. They joined a large, group dinner and other community events hosted and attended by those who live in the area where the students were building future homes.
“Many students come to Anna Maria College with a drive to serve others, and offering an Alternative Winter Break is one of the many ways in which we help service-oriented young people further develop this passion,” said Anna Maria College President Mary Lou Retelle. “So many of our students have selected careers that allow them to give back, such as teaching, fire science, emergency management, music therapy and more. The Winter Service Break is one of many transformative experiences we work to provide, in order to help shape these future community leaders.”
Those who completed the 2016 Winter Service Break coordinated by Anna Maria’s Campus Ministry include Massachusetts students Hailey Holleran, Acton; Elizabeth Casella, Athol; Kristen Whitton, Auburn; Kirsten Decell, Brookfield; Elizabeth Haggerty, Charlton; James Lemanski, Clinton; Angela Pinto, Douglas; Laura Cabral, Fall River; Kayla Jansen, Pittsfield; and Kristan Richardson, Tewksbury; as well as Rhode Island native Suzanne Pekar, North Kingstown; and New York resident Timothy Austin, Babylon.
Anna Maria College is a private, co-educational institution founded in 1946 by the Sisters of Saint Anne. With an annual enrollment of 1,500 students, the College prides itself on providing a values-based, service-focused liberal arts education. AMC has grown to offer a variety of undergraduate majors, as well as many graduate and certificate programs, both on-ground and online. The small student-faculty ratio allows for a highly personalized learning experience, while the modest class and campus size allow for optimal student involvement. The College offers 13 Division III NCAA athletic programs for men and women. AMC’s campus is conveniently located just minutes away from Worcester, MA on 192 acres in Paxton.
