For the past 20 years, the campus ministry of Fairfield University has taken an active approach in exploring ways for students to enhance themselves and the people around them. On Jan. 4, 2004, 20 Fairfield University undergraduates and six advisors will board a plane for a journey that will alter their lives forever. One group will be venturing to Nicaragua and the other will be going to Ecuador. Two students will be going to Haiti along with Fr. Paul Carrier. Their purpose is to serve on these mission trips to help the people with any daily activities that are needed to be done. Some work may occur in schools, hospitals or through simple interaction with the people. These men and women are split into groups of two. The advisors consist of faculty members and members from the administration who are there to help the students achieve their mission goals. The groups will arrive in their countries on Jan, 4 and will stay until Jan. 17.
The 20 individuals are responsible for the fundraising for their trips. Individually, they are required to contribute the minimum amount of $600. Many intriguing methods have been used by the students in order to get the money together for their trip. This year, members of the mission groups are primarily focusing on group fundraising. They have planned a fundraiser at Taco Loco, a restaurant that is quite popular with the Fairfield University community. Taco Loco has agreed to give the students 10 percent of profits from their business between the hours of 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m on Dec. 2. Other ideas that are being developed include “Take your picture with Santa Claus,” and a raffle for dinner with Fr. Jeffrey von Arx. The new groups hope to receive the same success as their predecessors.
Campus ministry, which is led by Fr. Paul Carrier, has been accepting students and advisors and putting them together in groups, which have proven to make significant impacts in the areas that they have visited. The groups meet on a weekly basis in order to reflect with one another, so they can get to know each other and truly find out ways to help the areas they are visiting.
Two weeks will come and go, but the friendships and lessons that these 20 men and women learn will remain in their lives for as long they live. This is an experience that many of the students feel will help them to find themselves and focus on what is real to them and where to go from here in life. It will teach them to preserve their morals and also open them to new ideas and ways of life which can only help to enrich their mindsets.
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