College Receives Hero's Circle Award

Penn State Altoona students and faculty chaperones have been spending their spring break in the Dominican Republic as part of the Orphanage Outreach Project since 2001. This year, Penn State Altoona was awarded the 2006 Orphanage Outreach Hero's Circle Award for its significant partnership in providing opportunities to the orphaned, abandoned, and disadvantaged children of the Dominican Republic.

"Your team of volunteers was a pleasure to work with, and you made a huge difference there again this year," states Orphanage Outreach Executive Director Tom Eklund. "With your help, a lot has been happening!"

During their stay each year, students help to beautify the grounds of the orphanage by planting flowers, painting, and pouring concrete. They also work with the children at the orphanage in the afternoons, helping to teach them reading, math, and English, as well as organizing recreational activities for the youth.

Orphanage Outreach Project is a non-profit organization founded in 1995 and based in Glendale, Arizona, with work currently focused on providing opportunities for orphaned, abandoned, and disadvantaged children. Since 1994, more than 2,500 volunteers have joined Orphanage Outreach in the Dominican Republic, including nearly 600 in 2004 alone. Individual volunteers from more than 100 schools and churches have participated, as have organized teams from many colleges and universities, high schools, and churches.