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Students Serve as VISTAs to Give Back to Community
This summer, the Ohio Campus Compact has placed 29 AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associates at 14 member colleges and universities across the state to help fight childhood hunger by boosting the participation in community gardens and summer lunch programs that provide meals to children from low-income families. Otterbein is hosting two VISTA Summer Associates: senior integrated social studies major Stephen Gale and junior actuarial science major Andy Hufford.

A native of Westerville, Gale said he wanted to participate in the VISTA Summer Associates program to learn more about the needs in his own community. “The greatest thing I’ve learned this summer is how much Westerville is in need and how little people know about the need,” he said. “There is so much need around Westerville and there are so many ways to help.”

As Otterbein’s VISTA Summer Associates, Gale and Hufford have been working in Otterbein University’s Community Garden - adding new plots, mulch beds and giving tours. They have also had the opportunity to work with the Westerville Area Resource Ministry’s (W.A.R.M.) Summer Lunch Program, which serves children, who are on free or reduced-price school lunch during the academic year, lunch every day during the summer at four different locations in Westerville.

Gale said that he and Hufford play games and sports with the children after lunch to keep them active. Hufford, who plays on Otterbein’s men’s lacrosse team, had his teammates come to one of the W.A.R.M. Summer Lunch Program locations to teach the children about lacrosse.

Additionally, Audra Kohler ’14, LauraKate Bayman ’00, Bess Proper ’11, Janie Bar ’12 and Chelsie Fuller ’14 are also helping to serve children with W.A.R.M.’s Summer Lunch Program this summer.

Gale said that community service has always been important in his life.

“I feel that whatever I give comes back tenfold and that it can be passed on to somebody else,” he said. “Otterbein has been really influential in my community service. The Center for Community Engagement provides many opportunities and a variety of community service organizations that I can choose from that I can help out with.”

Hufford said that Otterbein has allowed him to serve the local community with opportunities like the VISTA Summer Associates program and its weekly service organizations. This fall, he will coordinate SEEDS, a student service organization that will help harvest and maintain the Otterbein Community Garden.

"Giving back to my community has always been important to me since my Boy Scout days," Hufford said. "If you're ever in a position to help someone that is worse off than you, I believe it is almost your duty to help that person."

Click here to learn more about Otterbein’s Center for Community Engagement and Community Garden.