BSCTC CARE CLUB VISITS WASHINGTON, DC

A group of Big Sandy Community and Technical College (BSCTC) students recently visited the nations capital.

The C.A.R.E. (Community Awareness Reaching Everyone) Club, comprised of students in the colleges Human Services program, spent four days in Washington, D.C.

This was a tremendous learning opportunity for our students, said Tammy Ball, LCSW, the coordinator of the Human Services program at BSCTC. Our nations capital is full of history, culture and learning, and it is also a place where poverty and other obstacles are very real.

Members of the C.A.R.E. Club created care packages for some of the citys homeless residents, including one they met outside a hotel they were staying in near Chinatown.

We chose to go into this field because we genuinely want to help people, said Brandy Joseph, president of the C.A.R.E. Club. She graduated in May with her degree in Human Services. The struggles of these people are real, and its hard to think about, but there are people each day who struggle to eat and find a place to sleep.

Ball said her students embody the true meaning of community servants.

Its humbling to see these students give of themselves, she said. Theyve done it since day one, from organizing food drives to preparing a Thanksgiving meal for residents of the WestCare homeless shelter.

During the trip to Washington, DC, students toured monuments and memorials and were greeted on the steps of the U.S. Capitol by Congressman Hal Rogers.

We are very thankful that Congressman Rogers took time out of his busy schedule to talk with our students about the importance of their field of study, said Ball. He was very generous with his time, and we are thankful for the work he does to make Eastern Kentucky a better place to live, work and raise a family.

Members of the C.A.R.E. Club were given a private tour of the U.S. Capitol by a member of Congressman Rogers staff and were treated to a visit to the Gallery, where they watched Congressman Rogers and other House members vote on a variety of spending bills.

Members of the C.A.R.E. Club that attended the trip were: Ladonna Griffey, Val Inzer, Brandy Joseph, Ashley Mullins, Stevi Conn, Selena Jarrell and Lora Simpkins.

To learn more about the C.A.R.E. Club and the colleges Human Services program, contact Tammy Ball at (606) 889-4787 or email tammy.ball@kctcs.edu.