By: Angie Funnell
CCASL’s mission is to develop student leaders with an ethic of service and a life-long thirst for social justice. Through values of community, hearth, justice, respect, transformation and creativity, CCASL provides the opportunity for students at Gonzaga to embark on the Jesuit philosophy of being “the men and women for others.” This is a philosophy that student leader, Alex Power has embarked on.
Alex Power is a Senior Business Administrations major, with concentrations in Marketing and HR Management. Alex has done a variety of service with CCASL since his freshman year at Gonzaga, from mentoring programs to co-curricular programs! Alex was a Campus Kids mentor in his freshman and sophomore year, and Smile Coordinator his sophomore and junior year. He participated in Reality Camp entering into his freshman year, and joined the staff as a Coordinator during his sophomore, junior and senior year! Alex was also a participant on Mission Possible (M:P) during his freshman and sophomore year. He most recently led a team on M:P as a Coordinator in his junior year and will again this spring as a senior!
Alex says, “I started doing service in my sophomore year in high school. I have such a privileged life and we take for granted what we have some times. People don’t realize the personal reward that they can gain from doing service.” Alex has pursued the Coordinator role with many of CCASL’s programs because he wants to make sure that the other mentors have the same incredible, heart-rending, and eye opening experiences he has had.
Serving through CCASL’s mentoring program Smile, Alex loved spending the simplest hour with kids. All it takes is an hour of your weekly schedule to inspire, influence, encourage happiness in a child’s life! Serving through Campus Kids, Alex loved the act of mentoring a child, and watching their growth over the years. Reality Camp offers 40 freshman the opportunity to witness a different side of Spokane that many residents aren’t able to experience. Mission Possible (M:P) is an encouraging spring break alternative because it “forces you out of your comfort zone and you have the ability to experience sides of people’s lives that you typically never are able to see,” said Alex.
Told through Alex's perspective: “During Mission:Possible freshman year, I was working in a clothing bank in downtown Portland and this man named Miguel entered. Every man that entered was allowed to take two shirts, long sleeve shirt, jacket, sweatshirt, socks, hats, and trade shoes. Miguel asked me if I had any more long underwear, but unfortunately I had just given the last pair away. Miguel continued to walk around the room and returned with a pair of socks and said he was done. I looked at him and offered to help him find more clothes to fill up his bag. Miguel looked at me with a smile and said ‘this is all I need, other people will need this stuff.’”
Alex says, “I started doing service in my sophomore year in high school. I have such a privileged life and we take for granted what we have some times. People don’t realize the personal reward that they can gain from doing service.” Alex has pursued the Coordinator role with many of CCASL’s programs because he wants to make sure that the other mentors have the same incredible, heart-rending, and eye opening experiences he has had.
Serving through CCASL’s mentoring program Smile, Alex loved spending the simplest hour with kids. All it takes is an hour of your weekly schedule to inspire, influence, encourage happiness in a child’s life! Serving through Campus Kids, Alex loved the act of mentoring a child, and watching their growth over the years. Reality Camp offers 40 freshman the opportunity to witness a different side of Spokane that many residents aren’t able to experience. Mission Possible (M:P) is an encouraging spring break alternative because it “forces you out of your comfort zone and you have the ability to experience sides of people’s lives that you typically never are able to see,” said Alex.
Told through Alex's perspective: “During Mission:Possible freshman year, I was working in a clothing bank in downtown Portland and this man named Miguel entered. Every man that entered was allowed to take two shirts, long sleeve shirt, jacket, sweatshirt, socks, hats, and trade shoes. Miguel asked me if I had any more long underwear, but unfortunately I had just given the last pair away. Miguel continued to walk around the room and returned with a pair of socks and said he was done. I looked at him and offered to help him find more clothes to fill up his bag. Miguel looked at me with a smile and said ‘this is all I need, other people will need this stuff.’”
For Alex, “service is what I want to do with my life- to serve.” After graduation, Alex is applying to the JVC. He’d love to do two years of service in the South or New England. He would love to engage in something that he has never done before, such as working with homeless teams or work with ex-convicts. In high school, he did a lot of homeless outreach. Alex wishes that more students would volunteer with the CCASL programs. He’s said, “You end up gaining more than you give.”
Remember to follow up with updates via the website: http://www.gonzaga.edu/Student-Life/Get-Involved/Community-Action-and-Service-Learning/default.asp
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