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Worcester Prep students and staff take part in service trips

August 20, 2019

As soon as school let out for summer, caravans of Worcester Preparatory School students, parents and faculty headed to Kentucky and West Virginia as part of the Appalachia Service Project.

Volunteers participated in service project trips from one of three churches: Community Church of Ocean Pines, Md.; Trinity United Methodist Church; and St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church. The mission trips are part of a Christian ministry that inspires hope and service through volunteer home repair in Central Appalachia.

The Community Church of Ocean Pines group, coordinated by Worcester Prep teacher Allison Bescak, traveled to Magoffin County, Ky., for a week to repair homes and make them warmer, safer and drier. The other two groups traveled to West Virginia to assist families in need.

The Kentucky volunteers hosted fundraisers and collected donations from parishioners and local businesses to help fund the ASP trip. “We travel there with the hopes of changing peoples’ lives, but in reality it is our lives that are changed for the better. This is a ministry with a little construction on the side. Being uncomfortable in our own skin ultimately forces change and growth that is hard to put in words,” said Bescak.

This was not the first service trip for most of the Worcester Prep students or parents. Many have volunteered for three to four consecutive years.

Reflecting on her four years with ASP, senior Gracie Gardner said, “Knowing I am making a difference firsthand, my ASP trips have truly been the best weeks of my summers. Witnessing extreme poverty in our own country, volunteering with peers my age, and bonding with families we serve has been a life-changing experience I will never forget.”

 

 

 

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