Buies Creek – Campbell University has announced it will join President Barack Obama’s initiative, the Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge, an optional year-long commitment for college campuses that requires them to work with the community and people of different faiths and belief systems on projects that benefit those in need.
SinceObama’s inauguration, he has emphasized interfaith cooperation and community service as an important way to build understanding between different communities and contribute to the common good. The Interfaith Service initiative involves people from different religious and non-religious backgrounds tackling community challenges together, such as building homes through Habitat for Humanity.
“We have a team of campus partners comprised of students and various departments and offices who will determine the goals of the challenge for Campbell,” said Campbell’sAmeriCorps VISTA member Sara Acosta. “Each institution can tailor the challenge to its own expectations and abilities.”
The White House is encouraging institutions to make the Interfaith Service campaign a nationwide endeavor. According to a statement, the program might take the form of diverse campus groups working together to implement a specific year-long project or involve students from a college or university partnering with local religious groups to tackle a specific community challenge together.Other North Carolina Schools participating in the initiative are Duke, Gardner-Webb, Wake Forest, Elon, Catawba College, Davidson, the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Pembroke and UNC-Chapel Hill, Johnson C. Smith University, and Pamlico Community College.
The best projects will be recognized at a special White House Ceremony. Project plans must be submittedby participating institutions by June 24.