Nov 17, 2013 1 min read

Later this week, 17 students at Waynesburg University will not be kicking back as they kick off their Thanksgiving break.

That’s because they will be participating in two mission projects to help others in serious need.

The first of the two endeavors has 14 of those students traveling to Highland Park, N.J., where they will take part in continuing cleanup and rebuilding efforts for victims of 2012’s Hurricane Sandy. Three more students will be working with Habitat for Humanity in Greene County on an assortment of daily undertakings.

Waynesburg University prides itself as a service-oriented institution, and that is quite commendable. Some of the students may get credit for their work if they are in the Bonner Scholarship program, but it is perhaps more likely they are driven to participate because they have a strong sense of service and are highly motivated to help others.

Those at the university who put these mission trips together should be applauded. As we have noted before, the lessons these 17 students learn could never be taught in a classroom.