Norfolk Native Elizabeth Abramo Spending Spring Break Helping Others

2015 Mar 4

Norfolk native Elizabeth Ann Abramo will be traveling to Arizona next week during Stonehill College's spring break as apart of its H.O.P.E. Service Immersion Program.

HOPE Arizona participants will travel to the city of Phoenix where they will have the opportunity to experience the mission of the Andre House of Hospitality. This organization, which provides a wide variety of services to the population of Phoenix experiencing homelessness, was established through the Congregation of Holy Cross and grew out of the Catholic Worker Movement. During their time at the Andre House, we will be assisting the staff as they serve meals and provide services including access to laundry, showers and other necessities that their guests might otherwise have to do without.

Students who participate in the H.O.P.E. program form community with one another during the five months leading up to their trip. They learn about the culture, history and issues of social injustice in the communities they are destined to visit and serve.

The trips themselves are truly immersive experiences, challenging students to engage the four tenets of H.O.P.E.:

• Honoring our neighbor
• Organizing for justice
• Practicing peace
• Encountering God

Upon their return, students are encouraged to reflect on their experiences and to integrate the pursuit of social justice into their day-to-day lives.

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Stonehill is a selective Catholic college located near Boston on a beautiful 384-acre campus in Easton, Massachusetts. With a student-faculty ratio of 13:1, the College engages over 2,500 students in 80+ rigorous academic programs in the liberal arts, sciences, and pre-professional fields. The Stonehill community helps students to develop the knowledge, skills, and character to meet their professional goals and to live lives of purpose and integrity.