JCU gives Thea Bowman Center “extreme makeover”

Approximately 170 John Carroll students, faculty and staff rallied in late August for what one grateful recipient of their service called an Extreme Makeover of the Thea Bowman Center of Epiphany Catholic Church in Cleveland’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood. The group was involved in Streak Week’s community service project for (mostly) matriculating freshmen. Though there were a number of representatives from other classes, and a strong contingent of faculty and staff, the majority of volunteers were incoming freshmen taking their first steps in being men and women for others under a John Carroll banner.

The Thea Bowman Center is a comprehensive cultural and educational facility that sponsors numerous programs and outreach activities. Named after the late and legendary African-American nun, the Bowman Center is a full-service community facility, with a day care facility, a hunger center and a wide range of other services that address the needs of people of all ages.

“The efforts of our students were tremendous!  The fact that 140 or 20 percent of the first-year class was there in August says something about the type of student JCU is attracting – young men and women committed to serving others and working for positive change in our community,” says Christopher Kerr ’00, coordinator for Social Justice Initiatives, JCU Campus Ministry.
  
“JCU’s Center for Service and Social Action and Campus Ministry offices are constantly developing new relationships with social service agencies while continuing to foster relationships that have a long history. JCU and the Thea Bowman Center have a long tradition of working collaboratively to provide tremendous opportunities for JCU students to serve others and learn from the community members in Cleveland’s Mt. Pleasant neighborhood. We are grateful for the Center’s continued support of the University’s efforts to educate the minds and hearts of our students.”

Dr. Peggy Finucane ’80, interim director of the university’s Center for Service and Social Action, adds: “We assigned the students tasks and they were a whirlwind from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. They painted the wooden playground equipment, pulled ivy off and cleaned the center’s buildings. They painted three hallways and a garage; created a frame and filled it with mulch. It was dramatic. Sometimes when you do service, you don’t see a big difference. I think our students saw that what they did really had a big visible effect.”

“It was amazing to see our campus humming with so much activity,” Sylvia Little Harris, the center’s coordinator, said in a follow-up letter. “Some of the JCU crew was busy landscaping outside, while others painted the garages, stairwells and hallways. Everything is so fresh and new looking. Our church looks beautiful, and there is still a hint of Murphy’s Oil Soap. I think what made the whole day so very special was the spirit in which you served.”

Twelve faculty and staff, including campus managers like Rich Bretz, John Carroll’s director of construction, offered their time and talent, as well. For the incoming freshmen, it was only the beginning of their lives of service at John Carroll.