Simpson University WorldSERVE, Strike Teams Partner to Help Community
For Immediate Release
02.17.2017
REDDING, Calif. - More than 90 Simpson University students and staff served at sites throughout Shasta County on Feb. 11, in a partnership between Strike Teams and WorldSERVE.
The service blitz took place during WorldSERVE’s annual 30-Hour Famine, an annual time of fasting and service for the students who will travel to nine countries and two U.S. cities in 2017 on mission trips. Eighty students are preparing for trips this year.
Strike Teams comprises small volunteer groups who help with myriad short-term needs in the local community throughout the year. Since 2012, hundreds of students have served thousands of hours helping individuals and nonprofit organizations throughout the Redding area and beyond.
The weekend partnership gave students from both groups an opportunity to serve together and to make a difference locally. Teams served in seven locations: Good News Rescue Mission, Lighthouse Church, Shasta Senior Nutrition Program, ShastaThrive, Turtle Bay Exploration Park, Vineyard, and Compass Shining Care.
ShastaThrive, an Anderson-based nonprofit that helps low-income families and at-risk youth, posted photos on Facebook of “this amazing group of Simpson U students (who) totally blessed us today by showing up ready to work.”
The students, who will serve this summer in Haiti and Albania, weeded in ShastaThrive’s community garden, washed doors and walls, cleaned cupboards, and more. “Besides all this, they prayer walked with us, and prayed over our ministry,” the post reads.
The service weekend also capped off WorldSERVE’s annual 21-Day Challenge, where students and others are asked to fast from a different First-World comfort each day to give them a better understanding of daily life for many global neighbors.
"It is an honor to be part of a school that values service to others both abroad and at home,” said Hannah Dewater, coordinator of community services. “The work the students do all over the globe during spring break and summer is amazing, and to have them all go out in Redding during their training is a very practical application of what they are preparing for."
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Simpson University, established in 1921, is a Christian university offering undergraduate, graduate, and teaching credential programs. The university celebrated its 25th year in Redding and the completion of a Science and Nursing Center in 2014. Academic programs include ASPIRE, a degree-completion program geared toward working adults with both on-campus and online course offerings, including degrees in psychology and organizational leadership. For information about the university, or to arrange a campus visit, call 1-888-9-SIMPSON or visit simpsonu.edu.
Contact: SU Public Relations
mediarelations@simpsonu.edu
(530) 226-4737
