To encourage dedication of service amongst Houghton students towards the community and surrounding areas, the college has created a new office for Houghton Outreach Programs & Education, or as it is also known as, HOPE. This new office will provide a centralized space on campus where students can learn and participate in upcoming community service opportunities.
The HOPE office, which will be located in the basement of the Campus Center, will offer resources to a current database listing needs of services to students, faculty, and staff.
It will provide students with the chance to discover service opportunities that will accompany their passions in life and study. Gregory Bish, Director of Student Programs said, “I think that one of the key things for the office is actually just to help us better understand and recognize what students are already doing. But I also think that as students, they are looking for opportunities that will be a mechanism for them to find places that are the best fit for them and help their college to be more effective.”
While this new office is meant to provide information and opportunities for community service, Dr. Robert Pool, Vice President of Student Life, explained there is more to what the office can offer students. He said, “The students are learning about themselves, how much they learn about the world in which they live, how they learn to coordinate efforts around needs. There is a lot of learning that goes on that’s very transferable to the outside world when you engage in thought for service.”
Before HOPE, there had never been a coordinated report of the services volunteered by Houghton students. With this new office, the college will be able to obtain that information by reporting data of the volunteer services taking place. This will allow the office to evaluate its programs and services. “Internally, we want to know how we are meeting the needs of the community” said Pool.
Miriam Griffith, a senior student, expressed her opinion about the new HOPE office, saying, “Service is a pivotal aspect of Houghton College; it seems as though Houghton would not be the same if it did not have a deep love of giving back to those in need. I feel as though having an on-campus office dedicated to providing service opportunities for Houghton students is a great thing and I cannot wait to be a part of what this office is planning.”
At the moment the new office is at the stage of research and development, students and staff currently working together to find out the needs of the community. Currently, Jina Libby, senior, is part of this student staff. Part of her duties include going to areas in need of service, finding what their volunteer needs are, and determining how the college can better prepare the students to address those needs through service.
The HOPE office has identified three places on which they aim to work as their pilot projects. “We are working with the Fillmore Powerhouse, the Houghton nursing home, and Wellspring Ministries in Belfast,” Bish elaborated. Students will be able to start volunteering as soon as this spring.
Pool said “There’s really no centralized place where anyone can say, ‘how can I serve,’ ‘what is available,’ ‘who needs me,’ ‘what are my talents’ and ‘how can I explore those talents by serving others in a volunteer capacity.’” HOPE’s goal is to change that. “That’s what this office is all about” said Pool.