We hope you’ve been following tales of our global projects, experiences, and dreams in Nicaragua and Ecuador with Tales of Sudor and Amor and Open Hands and Dirty Feet, the Manna global blogs. We are excited to launch Big Manna on Campus to give Manna-ites and Manna supporters alike a chance to do learn more about the things we’ve been working on locally.
Every week, we hope to post a story of a Manna endeavor across the country. Our chapters at Vanderbilt, Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Wilmington, Baylor, UT Austin, Worcester State, and our charter chapters at Tulane and UGA work hard every day to serve the communities around us. We strive to make our mark on schools, after-school programs, health clinics, and various other communities and organizations while spreading our mission and vision of communities serving communities throughout our own college campuses.
Last month, students at Vanderbilt hosted a musically-themed publicity event on campus, Mannaroo (think Bonnaroo with service instead of substances). While students listened to music and mingled under the sun, they got a chance to learn about Manna’s work with Nashville’s Siloam Family Health Center, the Clairmont Apartments, and the Sudanese Community and Women’s Services Center, as well as pick up Spring and Thanksgiving break applications for service trips to not only Ecuador and Nicaragua, but also Costa Rica, Argentina, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Belize. Students enjoyed delicious cupcakes and ices as well as baked goods donated by various sorority houses on campus as they asked questions and signed up for volunteer opportunities. New members interest piqued as veteran members reminisced about past local and international experiences and the event was enjoyed by all participants.
Big Manna on Campus has been established to tell the stories of events such as this one—events that impact the communities directly around us and have the potential to grow and prosper.
We’ll be back next week to report on the work done by our other chapters across the United States. Until then, feel free to contact us with questions, comments, ideas, and initiatives. Leave us a comment, subscribe to our Manna Mail, or email Andrew Preston at Andrew.j.Preston@gmail.com or Nikki Bogopolskaya at Nikki.Bogopo@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you!
Peace and Manna Love.
