Beginning last fall, 55 Concordia students participated in the newly-created #CaliforniansforAll College Corps program由加利福尼亚州发起，旨在鼓励年轻人参与社区服务. 学生们每周在当地非营利组织或社区实体服务15个小时左右，最多可获得10美元,000 in financial assistance. “Concordia values service, 这是一个机会，让我们在我们的社区里拥抱它,” says Jenny Sheek ’04, College Corps coordinator. “It helps our students live into their identity and calling, 用神所装备他们的恩赐，在言语和行为上分享基督的爱.”
Evelyn Galvan, a junior behavioral science major from Lake Forest, 他喜欢学费补助的想法，并被分配到南县外展中心工作, a non-profit food bank which functions like a grocery store. Having never volunteered before, Galvan was apprehensive at first, but quickly became comfortable with her team, her assignments, and the people they serve.
“因为他们每个月都来，所以你和他们建立了联系，”加尔文说. “在我住的地方附近，有这么多人在为买杂货而苦苦挣扎，这真是令人惊讶. It’s been an eye-opener. 如果我没有参加大学军团计划，我就不会看到我住的地方的这一面.” At the food bank, 顾客推着购物车走过摆满罐头食品的过道, and receive fresh foods like meat, eggs, vegetables, and dairy products. Galvan在三个易腐食品站之间轮换，经常听客户谈论他们的一天.
“我遇到过一些人，他们非常高兴，因为他们有了一个移动房屋，想要在厨房里添置一些东西,” she says. “Other clients come in for the first time, 他们很焦虑，因为他们失去了家，现在没有地方住.这段经历非常积极，加尔万打算明年也继续服役, and continue to volunteer after that.
在一个完全不同的背景下，大二的神学研究专业 Laura Gibson, who is also part of the director of Christian education program她被分配到田中农场，那里离赌博十大平台排行校园只有几步之遥.
“I work in the barnyard and spot clean the animals’ pens, feed them and give them water,” Gibson says. “We take some animals on walks. We have tons of goats, four sheep, two mini-horses, a pony, two miniature donkeys, a mule, a miniature cow, turkeys, and twenty-five chickens.”
回到家乡莫德斯托，吉布森“在成长过程中喜欢为我的教会和社区服务，”她说. She ran sound and on-screen projections at church, 同时在赞美乐队中担任吉他手，并担任伴唱. 她的家人经常准备无家可归者的关怀包裹和圣诞儿童行动箱，并协助莫德斯托福音传教会的筹款晚宴.
“在服务自己之前服务他人是我父母灌输给我的非常重要的东西,” she says. 田中农场实践和推广可持续农业，而不是大规模采收, and that includes hosting visitors for an on-site, get-your-hands-dirty experience of farming.
“他们认为让人们看到食物的来源是很重要的，”吉布森说. “They promote the love of agriculture and farming.”
Early in her time there, 吉布森的主管看到她善于与客人互动，并向他们介绍谷仓里的动物，所以他们让她在游客乘坐马车去采摘羽衣甘蓝之前教他们可持续农业, carrots, onions, green onions, blackberries, and strawberries.
在长达一小时的儿童“小鸡和芽”课程中，吉布森教授植物的生命周期. Then visitors plant sunflower seeds to take home with them. Then she teaches on the life cycle of a chick, from egg to hatchling, and talks about what adult chickens do. 然后，她会带游客进入鸡舍，“和鸡一起玩”.”
“我喜欢那些从来没有见过食物从哪里来的孩子们意识到，食物不会神奇地出现在杂货店里. There’s hard work that goes into it,” she says. “That makes them a little more grateful for their food. 看到他们的世界观在这么短的时间内改变了这么多，真是太神奇了.”
“College Corps”对我来说是一种祝福，因为它让我有机会立即被安置在一个托管站点,” she says. I didn’t have to go looking for a place to serve. It instantly clicked. I can’t imagine my life at Concordia any differently. 我喜欢和动物们在一起，喜欢和田中的工作人员在一起. It’s such a family atmosphere. We love and support one another.吉布森计划明年再次服役，并招募了其他人来做同样的事情.
“I recommend it to every single person,” she says. “It’s a win-win situation. You get a ton of experience, 你和主管建立了新的关系，他们可以帮助你在以后找到一份工作.”
College Corps requires 450 hours of service. Cumulatively, Concordia students have already served nearly 9,000 hours with eight partner institutions. Some students were featured on the Good Morning L.A. show for participating in College Corps.
“与我们合作的主机站点已经看到了可衡量的改进，”Sheek说. “For example, 辅导高危学生的学生分享孩子们考试成绩提高的故事, and their being more open in communication. 我们的学生看到他们可以对别人的生活产生可衡量的影响.”
Sheek指出了参与的更深层次的好处，这有助于弥补因COVID关闭而留下的经验差距.
“疫情期间，许多学生无法找到第一份工作, 所以这是一种学习软工作技能的方法，你通常在一个安全的环境中与支持你的人一起学习,” she says. “Things like how to connect with supervisors, how to advocate for yourself, showing up on time, what to do when you need to call off, what it’s like being part of a team, and so on.”
康考迪亚大学军团社区的参与者每周见面并讨论他们的经历, 讨论现实生活中的情况，比如:当人们在食品现场生气时会发生什么? Or it rains and gets muddy at the farm? 或者一个在线辅导的孩子在你教的时候低下头不跟你说话?
“这给了他们一个处理问题的地方，并对如何改进服务方式进行自我评估,”
Sheek says. “They also develop professional opportunities.” Students receive $7,000 in regular living allowance installments and $3,在完成450小时的服务后，可获得000英镑的教育奖励. Concordia已经获得了头两年的拨款，并正在重新申请第三年和第四年的拨款. 该大学参加了与先锋大学和尔湾谷学院的联盟, created so smaller schools have access to the program.
“这是给我们的学生和社区的礼物，”Sheek说.
在YouTube上了解更多赌博十大平台排行的大学军团计划和学生经历