The Jaspers and Edgar Zavala, chaperone, stand behind the classroom of children
they’ve been assisting.
EDGAR ZAVALA / COURTESY
Barbara Vasquez, Production Editor / Web Editor
Five Jaspers went on a week-long volunteer trip to Homestead, Florida over Jan. 5-11 as participants of Manhattan University’s Lasallian Outreach Volunteer Experience Program (L.O.V.E.).
While the LOVE program is nothing new for MU, the trip marked the first organized by newly appointed campus chaplains Edward Beck, C.P. and Robert Joerger, C.P.. The trip served as a way to help students get more involved with the university’s Lasallian mission while giving back to a community in need.
“I think Lasallian values mean faith being put into action,” Beck said. “And I think it’s important for us as a university to make sure that we also have that connection and commitment to service, and continually be reminded that one of our missions as an institution is to continue to reach out to those who are disenfranchised and somehow disadvantaged.”
The program took place at the Little School at LaSalle Educational Center, an institution which provides low-income families with a nurturing environment for their children to learn, all while upholding Lasallian values.
“We picked that particular school because it is a Lasallian education center that tutors disadvantaged youth who are either behind or come from disadvantaged communities that need extra help,” Beck said. “[The Jasper volunteers] individually tutored these students who were struggling or needed extra help, and that was the basic mission of the trip.”
The Little School is located in a gated Section 8 housing community. Volunteers visit these areas frequently to assist in whatever ways they can, lending a helping hand or giving out food to families.
“On Monday and Thursday evening we supported food pantries,” Edgar Zavala, director of non-credit programming at MU and a chaperone for the LOVE caravan, said. “Part of the work we do is pick up leftover food from different places. Then we prepare these packages of food and when families come, we’ll deliver it.”
Zavala has had many years of experience with social justice work, having been involved with the Lasallian mission since he was in high school. When asked about his takeaways from the trip, Zavala discussed the transformation he saw in the student volunteers.
“You have to interview the Jaspers to know exactly what they experienced, but I saw their transformation,” Zavala said. “I saw how some of the Jaspers that were very shy at the beginning became energized while talking to their child [that they tutored], and how happy the children became as well.”
Educational Center.
EDGAR ZAVALA / COURTESY
The Quadrangle asked some of the Jasper volunteers about their personal takeaways, to which they responded with only positive feedback.
“I learned from this trip that people are cool,” Michael Castro, a junior psychology major who attended the trip said. “It reinforced what I always knew, that there are always good people out there.”
The nature of the trip allowed for participants to truly connect with the community they were helping.
“During this trip, people really saw the good side of me, and I saw the good side of them,” Castro said. “ I would tutor one of the kids, and they would be on their best behavior. We were just all helping each other out. ”
Melvin Puello, a sophomore civil engineering student who volunteered for the week, spoke highly about the experience.
“This trip was inspirational in the sense that it really opened my eyes to a community that maybe we don’t pay attention to on a daily basis,” Puello wrote in an email to The Quadrangle. “Seeing how they live and how they help each other, it makes you want to be a better person and continue to learn about the world, by visiting different communities and doing the best you can to help anyone.”
For Puello, the trip was especially transformative.
“This was my first time with such an experience, and prior to this I wasn’t familiar at all
with the Lasallian mission, but now I place a lot of value and respect in it,” Puello wrote. “It exceeded my expectations 100%. It was extremely valuable to me, and it’s something I look forward to learning more about and doing again. I hope that I helped as many people as I possibly could. I hope they can remember that it was help that came from pure kindness and care for them and their community.”
MU prides itself on maintaining Lasallian values, especially emphasizing the ideals of education and giving back when possible. This most recent LOVE trip proved to be an embodiment of these values to all involved.
“I’ve done these [trips] many times, but I think for the Jaspers that came with me, it helped them realize that we’re not alone in this world,” Zavala said. “Realize that sometimes we’re privileged, and that many other people don’t have the same resources that we do. Realize that you don’t need to have a lot to help.”