Centre students help in Eastern Kentucky during Alternative Fall Break

Students with the Office of Civic and Community Engagement (OCCE) took an alternative fall break to Eastern Kentucky, assisting a region ravaged by flooding earlier this year.

Fifteen Centre students volunteered for two separate day trips to Perry County, Kentucky to support a cleanup and restoration with the Housing Development Alliance. Students removed debris and cleaned a damaged riverside house.

Bonner Leader Emmy Greene ’23 is on the planning committee for the event. A Sandy Hook, Kentucky native, she was motivated to serve and help her neighbors.

“Although my area in Eastern Kentucky was not directly impacted, we were all effected by the devastating effects that the historic floods had on our neighbors,” Greene said. “I truly believe in the difference that community engagement can make, so when I had the opportunity to work with the Office of Civic and Community Engagement in planning an alternative fall break trip to Hazard, I was really excited to connect students with this part of Appalachia in a way that would be so impactful for both them and for those affected by the floods.”

With funding from Kentucky Campus Connect, the students participated in a pre-service orientation to learn about Eastern Kentucky history—and through that orientation, Greene saw her fellow students gain empathy toward the communities there.

“Through our training and the direct service that they took part in over the break, I know that even students who do not have a personal connection to the region were able to gain knowledge about the area and ways to best support community efforts in flood relief,” she said. “Working with local community organizations, such as the Housing Development Alliance in Hazard, has been the most impactful part of my experience as a student at Centre.”

Community Outreach and Support Specialist Nathan Whitlock ’22 said the fall break service trips are an immersive and impactful way for students to step outside their daily routine. 

“Community engagement is a collaborative process between institutions of higher education and our larger communities for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources,” he said. “The alternative fall break service trips to Eastern Kentucky demonstrate one way in which Centre plays an active role in building bridges with communities across Kentucky.”

Greene hopes that community engagement projects like this become more popular—and that her fellow students see the mutual benefits of helping a community in need.

“I hope that through organized service opportunities, such as this one, we continue to foster a Centre that is more mindful of how we can help our communities, as well as develop a greater appreciation for the role that our communities play in supporting us,” she said.

Photo at top: Centre College students visited eastern Kentucky with the Office of Civic and Community Engagement for an "Alternate Fall Break" where they helped with ongoing cleanup and restoration projects after historic flooding in the area.