St. Norbert College Students Volunteer Nationwide Through “TRIPS” Program

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From St. Norbert College, January 15, 2014
by Stefanie Trinkl, stefanie.trinkl@snc.edu, 920-403-3089

Over 90 St. Norbert College students are volunteering nationwide during their winter break through the service program Turning Responsibility Into Powerful Service, or "TRIPS." The students will travel to ten locations nationwide and work with various community service organizations.

Jenne Wiedemeier (Porterfield, Wis.), Devan Lenz (Kaukauna, Wis.), Taylor Baltus (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.), Kyle Boudreau (Gwinn, Mich.), Bryce Dunathan (Hortonville, Wis.), Sara Gionet (Mayville, Wis.), David Holzer (Hartford, Wis.), Quincy Kissack (Rock Springs, Wis.), Mackenzie Muha (Plainfield, Ill.), Annmarie Riva (Pleasant Prairie, Wis.) and Colton Wiesner (West Bend, Wis.) will be working with Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. The students will serve in different roles ranging from bedside buddies to special events coordinators. They will also have the opportunity to shadow a doctor and may also volunteer at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Daniel Carpenter (Burnett, Wis.), Riley Smith (Pleasant Prairie, Wis.), Kerry Galvin (Lockpoint, Ill.), Molly Hansen (Onalaska, Wis.), Ashley Heard (Franklin, Wis.), Lisa Jordahl (Portage, Wis.), Kayla Lewin (Kaukauna, Wis.), Marla Maraccini (Kingsford, Mich.), Sophie Mueller (Belgrade, Minn.), Rachel Nagengast (Arlington Heights, Ill.), Kea Schmuhl (Brandon, Wis.) and Hannah Smits (Green Bay, Wis.) will be joining organizations addressing the needs of people affected by HIV/AIDS in New York. The students will learn more about the national and international impact of this epidemic while working alongside St. Norbert alums.

Sara Hafenbreadl (West Bend, Wis.), Katie Flesch (Sun Prairie, Wis.), Olivia Koehn (West Bend, Wis.) and Kaojoua Vang (Sun Prairie, Wis.) will join Global Brigades in a nine-day medical/public health brigade in Nicaragua. Students will shadow doctors in medical consultations and assist in a pharmacy under the direction of licensed pharmacists. Students will also tour the area and assist with clinic days and the implementation of health projects.

Lindsey Osgood (West Bend, Wis.), Lauren Barnes (Rhinelander, Wis.), Caitlin Grow (Harvard, Ill.), Viktoria O'Leary (Appleton, Wis.), Brennan Schneider (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) and Emily Schnell (Lake in The Hills, Ill.) will be traveling to the island of St. Lucia, West Indies, to work with the Good News group of Wausau, Wis. Students will assist in home construction, house painting and medical care, and will visit homes and prisons.

The following members of the St. Norbert College Enactus group will be traveling to Boston to partner with the Catholic Charities, the Greater Boston Food Bank and other organizations: Liz Delain (Appleton, Wis.), Rikki Abeln (Lakeville, Minn.), Paige Bayer (Greenville, Wis.), Rebecca Firkus (Union Grove, Wis.), Claire Krummel (De Pere, Wis.), Benjamin Rehn (Gillett, Wis.), Eric Schroeder (Carol Stream, Ill.), Kacey Spoerl (Waupaca, Wis.), Katie Vanden Avond (De Pere, Wis.) and Rebecca Wood (Oneida, Wis.), Enactus is a student organization focused on entrepreneurial and service projects. The students will learn about service through the lens of business.

Kimberly Pampel (Grafton, Wis.), Terra Dirschl (Green Bay, Wis.), Taylor DeBroux (Brussels, Wis.), Caitlin Green (Green Bay, Wis.), Margaret Hill (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Ethan Markowski (Manitowoc, Wis.), Lauren Massie (Kenosha, Wis.), Haley Nett (Appleton, Wis.), Stephanie Nicoson (Mukwonago, Wis.), Jennifer Patton (Green Bay, Wis.), Alyssa Tomey (West Bend, Wis.) and Elly Wiebusch (Appleton, Wis.) will travel to Washington, D.C., to serve in the nation's largest homeless shelter and in soup kitchens and will deliver blankets and meals on the street. Students will seek to understand the root cause of homelessness and what can be done about it.

Brennan Henricks (Antigo, Wis.), Peter Ostergaard (Herning, Denmark), Gregory Capelli (Kenosha, Wis.), Philip Kostka (Rosholt, Wis.), Scott Schleunes (Manitowoc, Wis.), Travis Steffen (St. Cloud, Wis.) and Cary Thomas (Racine, Wis.) will travel to Philadelphia, Pa. with the Rev. Sal Cuccia, O.Praem, to serve at Our Brother's Place, a homeless shelter serving the needs of 300 men. The students in this all-male group will learn about homelessness, do manual labor, serve lunch and interact with the guests.

Nicole Hietpas (Appleton, Wis.), Ashley Miller (Forestville, Wis.), Bailee Bruecker (Kaukauna, Wis.), Miranda DenRuyter (Green Bay, Wis.), Jenna Jossart (De Pere, Wis.), Rebecca Liming (Eau Claire, Wis.), Heidi Spies (West Bend, Wis.) and Emily Stepanek (Racine, Wis.) will travel to Louisiana to volunteer in the post-Katrina New Orleans school system. Participants will create services such as literacy nights for parents and lessons and tutoring for students. They will also engage in a discussion about education in urban settings with the teachers who live there. Participants will also help in community service projects such as feeding the hungry.

Reed Colling (Appleton, Wis.), Sarah Serdar (Winthrop Harbor, Ill.), Abigail Andrle (River Falls, Wis.), Megan Bizub (Hartland, Wis.), Emily Goetz (West Bend, Wis.), Heidi Hoffman (West Bend, Wis.), Ashley Huckstep (Oconomowoc, Wis.), Lauren Pavlik (Green Bay, Wis.), Jessica Rabbitt (La Crosse, Wis.), Kathryn Sauter (Appleton, Wis.), Taylor Seliger (Mosinee, Wis.) and Kurt Ahonen (Green Bay, Wis.) will travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., to learn about childhood obesity and children's health in one of the poorest areas of our country. Students will meet with professors at the University of Southern Mississippi and participate in hands-on projects to learn about health and wellness issues in the community.

Katie Stewart (De Pere, Wis.), Katherine Spude (Brussels, Wis.), Amie Bomber (Green Bay, Wis.), Tess Botsford (Suamico, Wis.), Allison Ehlert (Sussex, Wis.), Alexis Pamperin (Green Bay, Wis.), Sally Schremp (Waunakee, Wis.), Emily Wavro (Kenosha, Wis.), and Kelsey Woodward (Melrose, Wis.), will visit Milwaukee to work side by side with St. Norbert College alumni teachers while learning about the Milwaukee school system. Students will get the chance to participate in hands-on classroom teaching experiences.

TRIPS is an alternative break program that gives students the opportunity to put their values, convictions and religious beliefs into action through service. The program is rooted in the ideal that service-learning and reflection can be a medium for personal growth and life-changing experiences. The program provides participants with leadership skills, new perspectives and a broader understanding of local, national and global communities.

For more information on the TRIPS program, visit http://www.snc.edu/trips/ or call 920-403-3367.