Shane EvansAn essential part of the Cabrini College core curriculum is community service. Cabrini was the first college in the country to integrate community service into their curriculum and make it a requirement for graduation. As juniors, students take a course where community involvement is an essential part of the course learning.
The Wolfington Center also offers many ways to stay involved in community outreach. There are a variety of programs for students to participate in throughout the school year. These range from community service in Norristown, Pa. to retreats to spring break service trips.
The first program is specifically geared toward freshman. The Wolfington Center offers a freshman retreat in both the fall and spring semesters. The retreats this year will take place Sept. 29-30 and March 23-24. According to Laura Gorgol, campus minister, the retreat is helps freshman to meet to people and make a successful transition into the college life.
Also in the fall the Wolfington Center sponsors the annual Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. The week is dedicated to collecting donations and educating the campus on national and international issues of poverty. The entire campus is encouraged to participate in all of the activities.
The Wolfington Center also offers program that take students off the campus to learn more about what is going on nationally. There is a trip to New York City during the Christmas break where students will learn about Mother Cabrini and the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Students have the opportunity to see the shrine of Mother Cabrini, Cabrini High School, the various immigration programs the sisters sponsor and New York City at Christmastime.
There is also a spring break service immersion trip offered to West Virginia. Students spend a week in a part of West Virginia participating in a work project while learning about the realities of what is it like to live in one of the poorest states in the nation.
There are also activities to look forward to as upperclassmen. There is an immersion trip to Ecuador to experience life in a third-world country and a SEARCH retreat that, according to Gorgol, allows students to explore personal relationships with themselves, others and God.
Christa Angeloni, coordinator of volunteer services, said, “The Wolfington Center is an amazing place because in a way it’s kind of like Cheers where everybody knows your name and if they don’t you can bet they will by the time you leave. It’s a place where any and all students can come for multiple purposes or with no purpose at all. It’s a place to just come and hang out.”
Students are always welcome to come into the Wolfington Center and find out about any of these activities or just to chat with a member of the staff. Tammy Fritz, coordinator of service learning resources, said, “We want the freshman to feel welcome and to feel like they can come in and talk to us about anything.”
