OWU Students Complete Spring Break Service Work

By Cole Hatcher

Two teams of Ohio Wesleyan University students spent a week helping others as part of OWU’s annual Spring Break Service Week program.

Before the teams left, and again at a return celebration, they received blessings from University Chaplain Chad Johns, director of Spring Break Service Week. A 2002 Ohio Wesleyan graduate, Johns annually shares a traditional Franciscan blessing to guide the teams in their journeys:

“May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships … with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people and the earth … with tears to shed for those who suffer so you will reach out your hands to offer comfort and walk in solidarity from pain into joy,” Johns said. “And may God bless you with the foolishness to think that you can make a difference in the world, so you will do the things which others say cannot be done.”

The teams traveled between March 8 and March 16, and gathered together March 26 to share images and insights from their experiences. The 2025 teams, including their destinations, missions, and members, were:

Disaster Recovery with SBP
(New Orleans, Louisiana)

A team of Ohio Wesleyan students and advisors spent spring break helping residents in New Orleans as they continue to recover from devastating hurricanes. *(Photo by Newton Kimberly ’13)*

In response to devastating hurricanes, this team worked with SBP, a nonprofit co-founded by 1995 OWU graduate Zack Rosenburg, to aid with the clean-up process as residents seek to rebuild their homes and lives.

Ash Brown ’26 of Delaware, Ohio
Jenni Le ’25 (student leader) of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Emma Luft ’25 of Columbus, Ohio
Graham Mayberry ’26 of Urbandale, Iowa
Emi Paulig ’27 of Austin, Texas
Hayley Read ’26 of Uniontown, Ohio
Madison Salyers ’25 of Delaware, Ohio
Marissa Siegel ’25 of Blacklick, Ohio
Josie Uemura ’27 of Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Newton Kimberly ’13 (advisor)
Kerri Robe (advisor)

Urban and Elsewhere
(South Carolina)

Ohio Wesleyan students and their advisor spent spring break in South Carolina helping to improve park trails and prepare ‘urban’ garden spaces within a framework of centering Black students in a space of belonging. *(Photo by Christopher Mickens)*

Through rural trails, urban gardening, and more, this team explored ways to serve at the intersections of nature and human need while building community and connection among Black students.