E&H Students Collectively Walk 100 Miles for Special Cause
E&H students and faculty participate in the Washington County CROP Hunger Walk.
E&H Students Collectively Walk 100 Miles for Special Cause
Emory & Henry junior Jenna Crozier said the morning of Oct. 2 began with a chill in the air, but the excitement of the 2011 CROP Walk warmed the hearts of participants, in spite of autumn temperatures.
Crozier was among 20 Emory & Henry students who joined at least 100 members of the community during the annual CROP Walk in Abingdon. The CROP Walk, which is an acronym for Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty, is a community-wide event sponsored by Church World Service and organized by local congregations to raise funds to end hunger at home and throughout the world. The CROP Walk represents the many steps people in developing countries have to walk each day to get food, water and fuel, and to take their goods to market.
The five-mile walk through the town of Abingdon was a service project for Crozier and other E&H students who belong to The Spark, a student-led worship service that helps people learn about and connect with God. Other groups of Emory & Henry students who are not affiliated with The Spark also participated in the event.
The College’s Appalachian Center for Community Service and members of The Spark co-organized Emory & Henry student participation.
“I really believe it’s a good cause and I always participate in it whenever I can,” she said. “So many people in the world go without good and clean water and we often take those privileges for granted. I feel so honored that I can do at least a small part in helping others who are less fortunate.”
According to Dr. Ed Davis, associate professor of Geography at the College and organizer of the event, as much as $9,000 from donations and pledges was raised for the event, the most in recent years. Seventy-five percent of the proceeds support Church World Service which works in more than 80 countries, including the United States, to provide food, medical care, refugee assistance and education. The remaining twenty-five percent of the proceeds stays in the community to help the Stone Soup Food Pantry sponsored by Ecumenical Faith in Action which serves approximately 800 families each month.
“I love getting out and working with others in the community, especially on service projects because I really think it’s a good way to build relationships with new people,” said Crozier. “We met some really great people during the walk. My roommate and I met a man who used to be a tour guide for the Town of Abingdon and he told us some great facts about the town as we walked. Overall, I think it was a very successful CROP Walk and we had an awesome time of fellowship while promoting a great cause.”
