A spring break service trip to Puerto Rico anchors a busy second semester for Community Engagement Programs and Partnerships (CEPP).
Twelve students and two chaperones will travel to the island the first week of spring break, where they will perform a number of service projects, said CEPP Director Andrea Geyling-Moore.
“They’ll be doing a variety of things from agricultural work to hurricane relief to kids’ activities and environmental sustainability work as well,” she said.
Work is still ongoing to help Puerto Ricans recover from a series of devastating storms in 2017, including Hurricane Maria, which is one of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit the island. Milton students traveled there last summer through CEPP, the first service trip for the program since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s eye-opening,” said Geyling-Moore. “We try to prepare them in advance around the history and political status of Puerto Rico as a U.S. territory, as well as some language practice so we can interact with the communities there. It’s a challenge for them to see what’s going on and know that the people there do not have the same voting rights as the rest of the U.S.”
In addition to the service trip, CEPP volunteers recently wrapped up their Special Olympics basketball season with a tournament on campus, which drew participation from Milton’s boys’ and girls’ basketball teams in addition to the CEPP students who regularly work with Special Olympians. The program’s track and field tournament will be held at Milton in the spring.
Earlier this month, CEPP brought a group from Milton to the Winter Walk in Boston, a fundraising effort to end homelessness in the city. And this week, CEPP and the Red Cross hosted a blood drive on campus.