September 1, 2022

Pre-Orientation Service Program gives first-year students a chance to explore and serve their new community

By Kelly Huth

First-year students looking to establish a connection with their new home away from home got the chance to do just that in the Pre-Orientation Service Program (POSP).

The POSP program, coordinated by the Landis Center for Community Engagement, offers students a chance to arrive early, meet fellow classmates, get to know the campus, and participate in meaningful service projects in the Easton community.

This year, students were able to volunteer their energy and time at the Easton Urban Farm at The Neighborhood Center, Easton Garden Works’ gardens, LaFarm, and Joseph H. Firth Youth Center in Phillipsburg, N.J., and participate as counselors for the Kids in the Community day camp at Paxinosa Elementary School. Students also partnered with Gracedale Nursing Home to learn more about the aging population.

Annie Krege ’23 and Genevieve Craig ’23 served as the executive co-directors of POSP and helped to coordinate the activities.

Krege got involved with the program as a first-year because she was interested in engaging with her new community.

“I’ve learned so much about how to be an active citizen in my community and how important it is to be engaged with the population around you,” Krege says. “Over the last few years, I’ve learned how to enact change in my community through well-rounded, quality community service opportunities that emphasize direct service, education, and reflection.”

Jodi Fowler, assistant director of civic leadership for the Landis Center, says 27 student-leaders returned, along with 40 first-years, for a total of 67 student participants.

“The goal of the program is for students to engage in meaningful community outreach through education, direct service, and reflection,” Fowler says. “The outcome is for students to build lasting relationships, develop as leaders and active citizens, make connections through involvement in meaningful and collaborative service experiences, and increase their appreciation and understanding of Easton, the community that graciously houses them for four years.”

Krege says for students, POSP is a great introduction to other service opportunities that Lafayette offers. For those interested in learning more or participating in the program, visit the Landis Center site. 

photo galleries
a group of students work on a farm, with wildflowers in the foreground
two students wearing work gloves create flower bouquets
a student creates a flower bouquet
a student creates a flower bouquet
a bucket of wildflowers sits on the ground, the feet of two students are visible next to it
a group of students place a tarp over a flower bed at a farm
a farm worker dumps a pallet of cherry tomatoes
a tray of cherry tomatoes
students smile in a field of wildflowers

 

POSP students volunteered to paint, clean up, and support gardening efforts at the Easton Urban Farm at The Neighborhood Center, as well as Easton Garden Works’ gardens and LaFarm
a Lafayette student wearing a mask sits with two young children
Lafayette students sit on the floor of a gymnasium with young children
a Lafayette student leans on a table where school children sit
Lafayette students wearing masks stand in a gymnasium where young children are gathered doing activities at tables
a Lafayette student wearing a mask leans over a table where two young children color with markers
arts and crafts supplies sit on a table
a Lafayette student in a mask sits at a table with a young student who is coloring with a marker
young students sit at a table and color with markers
two young girls run in a gymnasium and smile
a young boy and other children run through a gymnasium
a group of school-aged children gather together in a gymnasium with a Lafayette student
First-year students volunteered to be camp counselors for kids ages 4-11 participating in the Kids in the Community day camp at Paxinosa Elementary School.

 

Lafayette students sit at a table and do arts and crafts with young Easton students
a young child smiles while holding an arts and crafts project
a Lafayette student in a mask makes eye contact with a young Easton student holding an arts and craft project
a Lafayette student and a young Easton student balance while doing a yoga pose in a gymnasium
Lafayette students sit with a young Easton student on the floor of a gymnaisium
Lafayette students gather with young Easton students in a gymnasium
Lafayette students smile and raise their arms with young Easton students in a gymnasium
young Easton students do yoga with Lafayette students in a gymnasium
young students run through a gymnasium, a camera effect makes them appear blurred
Students also served as counselors and worked with children at the Firth Youth Center’s camp in Phillipsburg, N.J.

 

Categorized in: Class of 2026, Featured News, Landis Center, Students
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