Getting Ready for NOLA 2012

Excitement is brewing getting ready again for New Orleans 2012!! 

A motto for me in
the city of New Orleans

Last year I spent a week with the Mercyhurst Service Learning Department over Thanksgiving Break in New Orleans doing a rebuild service project. This year marks the seventh year since Hurricane Katrina hit the city of New Orleans and there are still an large amount of homes in need of repair! With Hurricane Isaac re-affecting the rebuild process, there is an even bigger need for help to rebuild and that is where the Mercyhurst team comes in. 

Each year through the Service Learning Department, Mercyhurst sponsors various trips to immerse students in community service and learning opportunities. I was able to go to New Orleans in 2011 for the rebuild and I am looking forward to getting back. Last year there were 18 volunteers who spent their break working with the PNOLA team (check out their blog here).

Our Crew overlooking downtown New Orleans across the Mississippi

On the trip we split up and work as teams on houses in various areas of the city during the week. We did all sorts of jobs from painting and restoring the exterior of houses, to dry walling, insulating, framing, and general tidying. I think that my work from the House the Hurst Built is going to better prepare me for this year's trip! However, I am really looking forward to this trip. Some of the people from last year are going again, so I know that we are all looking forward to getting back to the city to see the progress that has been made. We are also taking new people who have not yet been on a rebuild trip or to New Orleans. As a leader in the group, I am hoping to help them make a positive impact and realize why it is so good to give back the way we do at Mercyhurst.

Me doing demolition at one of the houses with PNOLA 

This trip is one of the best things I have ever done at Mercyhurst, and I am looking forward to returning. We just found out if we were chosen or not to go on the New Orleans trip for 2012, and I couldn't be more happy to be part of the contributing team. I think it is important to remember why we are there. It is not only to experience this city and spend time with my friends from school. These people of New Orleans have been through true life struggles that I can't even relate to, and they continue to work hard. I loved the PNOLA site because of their motto. The P stands for Phoenix of New Orleans, LA. Phoenix meaning to rise from the ashes. This city that has been majorly effected by the hurricanes and destruction is rising from the ashes. 

Lakers getting silly with a family we were helping

Until next time Lakers and readers..... remember to do something good for someone else. There is nothing better than service for another person; its good for the soul!

Always,
Adrianne

Campus Involvement and Homecoming

There were a lot of important things buzzing in and around campus for the past week. On Wednesday we had our Campus Involvement Fair. I got to participate on behalf of multiple clubs on campus. The TOMS Campus Club, that I am the president of, is just one of our service-based clubs on campus. As a service based RSCO (registered student clubs/organization) we take part in something that is bigger than just our own purpose. So, while Mercyhurst's TOMS Club is just a student based organization that spreads the One for One global mission, we also look to help out our own community with the Mercyhurst mission. Plus, Its always exciting to get new members and people interested. 


This week was also another big one for campus involvement in general because it was Homecoming week! Spirit is a big thing for any school, and it is always good to see an increase in support going into Homecoming weekend. As part of MSG (Mercyhurst Student Government) I got to kick of my weekend with a spirit barbecue at the Clash of the Classes. This event was new to students this year, and was pretty successful! It was great to see students taking the initiative and getting together to support our Lakers. It also only made me more excited for our Homecoming football game against Slippery Rock!

The homecoming weekend at Mercyhurst always pairs with Parents and Alumni weekend, so the activity at Mercyhurst is amazing. The atmosphere makes it impossible to not have a good time (even though we were rained on for most of the day!). I had an amazing senior homecoming! My parents were here to visit, I had so much fun with my alumni friends, and I was honored to be a part of our senior homecoming court! It was raining, which made it difficult to watch the football game in a dress... although Mercyhurst made it easy because we won!

Myself and some fellow members of the homecoming court!

Also at the halftime portion of the game, Mercyhurst presented the House the Hurst Built (see last blog post) to its new owner! We did it--- built the house in four weeks and it felt great to be a part of that! 

Richard and I after the obstacle course

After the homecoming football game, there are some annual festivities around campus to be involved in. My personal favorite is always the bounce houses and obstacles at Hurst Fest. This homecoming was not shut down by the rain! I got to challenge Richard, our MSG President and friend, to race me through the course. It was slippery and muddy, but it was still fun! 

In the pictures you can see that we are also sporting the new Spirit shirts! In an effort to unite the student body even more at sporting events and campus events we thought of spirit shirts this year. Piggy-backing off of large University ideas, we want our shirt to be worn all year at multiple events as "The Shirt"! I was excited to see all the green on campus in promotion! GO LAKERS!!

This week its time to focus on school work and graduate school admissions. Back to the grind!

Until next time.
Adrianne

Welcome Back to Welcome Home!

There are so many opportunities at Mercyhurst to become involved, and the year always starts out with my favorite version... Service day! The easiest way to encourage the freshman to get to know someone random is by taking them into the city of Erie to do something better than catching an extra hour of sleep. I love service day. I remember my own service day, and looking back I had the opportunity to make friends that I still have today. Also it is a great way to learn some of Mercyhurst's core values, including being an Ambassador of Service!

A group of freshman students and me at the Mercy Center for Woman this year.
We worked hard and brought our smiles to make their days better.

But this year especially, Mercyhurst is doing more than just one big day of service. This new year of University has encouraged to do more! In July, Mercyhurst University announced plans to collaborate with Habitat for Humanity in Erie and build The House That 'Hurst Built. This entire build will just take about four weeks, and is a gift back to the city and the community that help and involve our Mercy family.   


My favorite part about the build is that you don't have to be Mr. or Mrs. Fix-it to participate. You may never have used a power tool, but we still are encouraging students to go! It is all about the experience of giving back and involving multiple people on campus. 

I have been to the site four times now since the project started August 27th. We are now down to the last week of the Hurst house build, and it has been incredible. I have seen the house from foundation, hopefully to finish. We will be dedicating the house to the family that will own it at our homecoming weekend. All of the students, faculty, employees, and friends of the University will see what a difference four weeks and a lot of hands can have.

Like I said I have had a lot of great experiences at the house the past few weeks. I got to watch the roof go up. I helped screw in drywall for all of the interior, while friends were hanging the siding on the inside. 

This past weekend the Ambassador club worked a morning and afternoon shift at the site. A majority of us were left to sand down the filled over screw holes and drywall cracks to make sure the house was ready for interior painting! That is when I really knew it was coming together. I will be posting more pictures of the recent build in another post so you can all see the progress that has been made! So proud to be a Laker and do good!