LEVEL Break Trip

Ryan Keller:  When I signed up to go on this trip, I expected a routine service experience. That we would go here or there and build this or that for a week. It turns out that I couldn’t have been more wrong. This trip was more than seven day’s work. This trip was about cementing relationships that would last a lifetime and impacting someone's lives in a way something tangible never could. For me, working with the students at CSD embodies this perfectly. Some people go their entire lives wanting to make a difference to just one person. On this trip, we were able to impact each and every one of the students in a positive way and that means the world to me. This experience provided more than just service for the members of our group. Through our daily team-building work and nightly reflections, we all grew closer to one another. I was able to bond with my group members on a deep level and build relationships that I believe will last long into the future. Beyond this, our tr...

Kate Murray:  Hi everyone! My name is Kate Murray and I am a Senior Sociology major with a Counseling minor from Northern Virginia. I actually have never been involved with LEVEL before, so I was a bit apprehensive to join LEVEL on their trip to Rocky Creek and Triple Play Farm. However, this week has continued to push me outside of my comfort zone, ultimately helping me learn and grow from my many encounters with others. Today we put the finishing touches on our service projects, which  included Mod-Podging our quilt designs and painting horse jumps. At the end of the day, Tracy and Erika led a wonderful closing reflection at Rocky Creek, allowing us to discuss the impact that groups like LEVEL can have on a community. Trisha, one of the RC staff members, broke down at one point and emotionally shared with us how heartbroken she felt when she could not join us at Rocky Creek one day this week. This raw emotion really affected me, because I realized that our group had done...