Bishal Thakuri
Published: April 1, 2009

Vanceburg, KY - Glenmary Farm, a Catholic run charity, in Lewis County, Kentucky opens its doors each spring to college students who choose to spend their spring breaks helping others.

This year Loras students, along with 42 other students from five different colleges, headed to Kentucky to volunteer.

“Some of these students came here, instead of spending spring break in vacation places; they decided to give back to the people of Kentucky” says Connie Rey Rodriquez, the Assistant Dean of Students at St. Edward’s University, Texas.

The Farm is located in one of the poorest counties in counties in Kentucky with a population of 14,000 residents, of which only three percent are Catholic.

For farm manager Patrick Robertson, students who make trips like these mean a lot to her.

“It is really special that complete strangers take time out of their lives to travel all the way from Iowa, New York, and Texas to come and work in the county,” said Robertson.

The entire week consisted of cutting wood, hammering nails, and painting a farm and the food pantry around the community.

Each day started with a bell-toll and then the volunteers gathering for a morning prayer. Unlike many other service project opportunities, Glenmary farm has offers a retreat-like experience for those who volunteer in the area.

This alternate spring break experience held a common theme among the students who participated.

“Simplicity; we just got back to the basics,” said Pat Moore, a junior at Loras College.

“Simplicity, and being able to go in to the community and help others; those were great experiences,” said Ashley Gezelle, a student at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse.

The Farm divides up the students into different work groups which visit different sites throughout the week. The work these volunteers do does more than help the community, it helps both the people that are helped and the students who volunteer their time to understand each others cultural backgrounds.

“You’re not going to save a whole city or a whole town in a week, you come here to understand the culture, not to save them,” said Daniella Pettinari, a junior at Canisius College in New York.

For more information on the Glenmary Farm and how to volunteer visit their website: Glenmary Farm

Bishal Thakuri can be reached at Bishal.Thakuri@loras.edu