The stated mission of SERCAP, the Southwest Rural Community Assistance Project, Inc., is to “Improve the quality of life for low-income individuals by promoting affordable water and wastewater facilities, community development, environmental health and economic self-sufficiency.” In our immediate area, one of the ways in which SERCAP carries forward its mission is by identifying host communities for the APEX Program of St. Joseph’s University, and facilitating APEX interaction with these communities.
Glenda Lane recently received SERCAP’s Community Partnership Excellence award. The following message is from the group’s formal announcement:
The Town of St. Paul, Virginia has partnered with SERCAP’s VFC Alternative Break program for the past Seven years. Each year the town has hosted eager volunteers from St. Joseph’s University. Since 2012, each week of service has been a success due to Ms. Glenda Lane, Deputy Treasurer for the Town of St. Paul. Glenda has organized and led the week of service each year and has incorporated many churches, civic leagues, and residents so that the week of service has truly become a community-wide project, embraced by several people.
Examples of volunteer projects in the town over the years have included painting and repairs of historic buildings and homes, building handicap ramps, serving at a local food bank, building a wall on the Town Hall property, landscaping at an environmental education center, interacting with youth, and assisting elderly citizens with house and yard work.
Glenda’s compassion, dedication, and hard work comes to fruition every year when the volunteers spend their week assisting the town while learning about its history, sharing experiences with town residents, and reflecting on the impact the experience has on their lives. Glenda has and continues to serve as a mentor to the volunteers, and many return to visit the town after their service is complete. Glenda also makes a delicious peach cobbler that she graciously shares with the volunteers!
Thank you, Glenda, for your dedication to the program and for initiating a cultural exchange and successful service week each year that leaves a profound impact on student volunteers and the Town of St. Paul.