At a glance
“I want to make a difference and see how others live,” said McKenzie Mallaber, of Livonia, N.Y., a student in the human services management program.
Students from Alfred State will journey from Alfred to Lima, Peru, from May 20 to May 29 to participate in a civic engagement project. This group of nine students; Mathematics and Physics Department faculty member Dr. Kathleen Ebert; and one Business Department faculty member, Dr. Lisa McCool, who is heading up the project, began preparations for the trip in November.
Students will be working with two groups: InMed, a support service for women and children, and Cooperar Peru, an orphanage located in Tankarpata. The group worked to raise funds and collect donated items for the trip’s service organizations. Donations included 1,000 birthing kits donated by Vonta International, 100 hand-crocheted newborn caps donated by Olean General Hospital, and numerous baby layette items donated by McKenzie Mallaber’s family.
April Heckman, a Rexville, N.Y., native and student in the business administration program, is looking forward to this potentially life-changing experience. “I’m excited about seeing a new culture,” she said. After arriving in Peru, the group will tour four cities, including Machu Picchu. One goal is to share a day with the children in the orphanage playing games and doing crafts. “I want to make a difference and see how others live,” said McKenzie Mallaber, of Livonia, N.Y., a student in the human services management program.
This project is being done in collaboration with the Office of Civic Engagement and International Student Services.