Why
We Give
Kelly Garcia '07
Kelly
Garcia ’07 of Abilene, TX, benefits
from gifts and in return, helps others. Spring Break 2005. Students
all over the nation are making plans to travel to exotic places and
relax before the last part of spring semester, Kelly
Garcia ’07 took advantage of a different opportunity provided
to her by St. Lawrence University and traveled to Philadelphia to
work in a soup kitchen for the week.
Her
trip was funded by gifts to the David Garner Center for Collegiate
Volunteerism.
Funds from this program help fund student community efforts such
as Habitat for Humanity, the SLU Buddies Program with local youngsters,
and alternative spring breaks, such as trip Kelly and 12 St. Lawrence
students signed up to do in March 2005.
While there, Kelly volunteered
at the St. Francis Inn where she helped cook and prepare meals. They
also sorted through and gave items to those people that needed them. For
Kelly, it was a humbling experience. “To an
extent, I was raised in a similar situation, but it was still heartbreaking.” she
said. “Being here at St. Lawrence, where I get three meals
a day and where I comfortably sleep in my safe room, makes it easy
to forget certain aspects of poverty.”
Kelly’s
experience in Philadelphia changed her. “The images I
saw and the people I met serve as an impetus to continue my learning
as far as I can. A physics and music major and a film minor,
Kelly plans on going into filmmaking, focusing primarily on poverty
and abuse. “I see myself as a storyteller and a messenger
for people in those situations. I want to reach as wide an audience
as I can. Even though people hear about poverty and abuse a lot,
it never sinks in until one sees it with one’s own eyes.”
