Holy Cross Students to Participate in Day of Service

WORCESTER, Mass. – "Bridges," a day of service for first-year students at Holy Cross, will take place on Saturday, Oct. 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at two sites in the city of Worcester. The program is an opportunity for first-year students to form bonds with their peers outside of the classroom setting while serving the greater Worcester community. Approximately 120 students are expected to participate.

This year, the students will be participating with the Middle River Clean-Up in partnership with the Greater Worcester Land Trust. Located adjacent to the campus, students will have the opportunity to either canoe through the river and pick up debris or clean the river banks.

The other "Bridges" site is the Thorndike Road School on Burncoat St. Students will help clean up a nature trail on the school grounds in the morning, and assist with the set-up and running of the school's annual "Apple Festival" in the afternoon, by painting faces and organizing hay rides for the students.

According to Cathy Reitz, Community Service Coordinator at Holy Cross, "Bridges gives students the opportunity to reconnect with their orientation groups and their orientation leaders from the fall, while serving as an orientation to the Worcester community by giving them an opportunity to get out and meet community members and do some service."

"Bridges" introduces students to the Jesuit concept of "men and women for others" by encouraging them to make real the words of former Superior General Rev. Pedro Arrupe, S.J. In this way, the orientation program serves to form a "bridge" between first-year students and the Worcester community.