In Closing
Photos by Tammy Woodard M.A. ’98
Operation Restoration
Through Clark Trek this August, 21 Clark first-year students packed up their tool belts and headed down to New Orleans to participate in the Habitat for Humanity (HFH) Collegiate Challenge. This hammer-banging initiative is one of the largest year-round student volunteer programs in the United States. Each year, thousands of college students spend one week working in partnership with a local community to build homes for families in need.
Clark Trek: Operation Restoration was new this year and one of three different preorientation programs that Clark offered to incoming first-year students. In it’s fifth year, Clark Trek is a popular program, which helps students transition into the college experience.
While working together during the hottest week of the summer (one day topped a searing 115 degrees!) to build adequate housing for the people of New Orleans, Operation Restoration participants bonded with fellow first-year students and Clark Trek student mentors. Since Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans communities have faced a dire housing crisis. No doubt, the highlight of the trip for these Clark Trekkers was the dedication ceremony where they handed over the keys to the home that they finished to its thankful new owner.
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