2008 Woodie Awards
Naz Farm: Colgate Students Spend Winter Break Living The Simple Life
Charney, Deb
Issue date: 1/21/05 Section: Arts & Features
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While the majority of Colgate students were visiting with family and friends, traveling, and catching up on some rest and relaxation over this year's winter break, one small group of students traveled to Doddridge County, West Virginia to perform benevolent acts of service at Nazareth Farm. This peaceful Catholic community rooted in the cornerstones of community, service, simplicity, and prayer was home to ten Colgate students and Colgate's Catholic Chaplain Mark Shiner from January 8 to 15.
Nazareth Farm is a community of volunteers that is devoted to improving the lives of local residents suffering from sub-standard living conditions. The residents in need of repairs provide the supplies in exchange for manpower provided free of charge by the farm.
Colgate students first-years Erin Brown and John Jimah, sophomores Devin Clifford, John Dunn, Chris Grillo and Laurie Pritchard, juniors Cindy Ryan and Nathan Skinner and seniors Laura Kenny and Jimmy Maritz, devoted themselves to the residents of Doddridge County and spent one week living and working at the farm. They were joined by approximately 40 other college students from schools such as the University of Virginia and Loyola of Chicago, as well as members of a college-age youth group from St. Joseph's church in Chicago. The student volunteers worked alongside seven staff members who live and work at the farm year-round and have devoted their lives to the Catholic faith and the practice of serving those in need.
At the beginning of the week, volunteers were divided into five work groups in which they participated in a variety of projects. Among the tasks given to Colgate students were painting, replacing floorboards, installing a tin roof, putting up new walls, and siding the outside of a house. Each day, four of the work groups left the farm to work on the housing projects. The remaining group spent the day at Nazareth Farm doing housework, taking care of the farm, and ensuring that a hot meal was on the table when the other volunteers returned from their sites.
The typical day began bright and early with morning prayer, chores, and breakfast. After spending the day in groups on work sites, the volunteers returned for dinner and a recounting by each group of the day's events. "Each group presents in a fun way, like song, interpretive dance, or ghost story," Jimah said.
In describing the daily schedule of events on the trip, Jimah was able to only recall the tasks, and knew very little about the times at which different events took place. "One thing we do at the farm is take off our watches!" he said.