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A group of BGSU students spent spring break on the Gulf Coast, but not in any of the usual haunts frequented by northern collegians
who migrate south for a vacation.
The 20 BGSU students—plus one from the University of Toledo—headed to Mobile, Ala., for a week of work rebuilding homes. Mobile
had the need, as a result of Hurricane Katrina, and the students, all but one construction management and technology majors,
had both the ability and desire to help.
Looking for a way to help Katrina’s victims after the hurricane struck last August, members of the Student Construction Management
Association began raising money for the trip. The students didn’t have money to give to the relief effort but could donate
time and ability, says SCMA President Kent Truckor. “In the past, we haven’t had as much service experience as we would like,”
adds the senior from Swanton, Ohio, expressing hope that a community service project will become an annual event.
The students raised more than $9,000 for the trip from families, friends, church groups and especially businesses that recruit
construction management and technology students. “The companies that are involved with our program have been very generous,”
says Truckor, crediting fellow SCMA officers Sam O’Neal, a junior from Troy, Ohio, and Ashley Medina, a senior from Bowling
Green, for their part in the project’s success.
Truckor’s brother, Neal, the Toledo student in the group, and their cousin, Brian Truckor, a BGSU senior from Metamora, Ohio,
made the trip a family affair. Neal is a civil engineering major; the only participating Bowling Green student who isn’t majoring
in construction management and technology was Ryan Rahrig, a graduate student in mathematics and statistics from Venedocia,
Ohio.
The students tore out rotted and mold-infested drywall, did finishing work, retiled, and removed and replaced roofing. In
total, they helped renovate eight homes as well as completed a full bathroom for relief volunteers staying at a local church.
“It is gratifying to see that our students are becoming more than just qualified construction professionals; they are growing
as individuals and learning to be good citizens to make a difference in the world,” says Program Leader Travis Chapin.
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