More than 50 students will embark on three service trips during tour week. Participants will work with various organizations including the Lutheran Disaster Response, Habitat for Humanity and Christ’s Body Ministries.   

The service trips leave Wartburg either Friday, April 18 or Saturday, April 19 and return to campus Saturday, April 26. Destinations for the trips include New Orleans, Denver and Lakota Reservation. 

The New Orleans trip, led by students Jessi Carver and Matt Wahl, will work with the Lutheran Disaster Response. Participants will work on different stages of home construction. 

Although New Orleans trip participants will work with a different organization, Wartburg service trips have gone to New Orleans every Winter Break and Tour Week since Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

A second service trip is aimed at first- and second-years wanting to not only complete service throughout tour week, but also experience Wartburg West in Denver. This service trip has 13 participants and is led by Alicia Brissette and Stephanie Meyer. 

The Denver service group will work with many service organizations including Metro CareRing, the largest food pantry in Denver; St. Francis Center, a daytime hospitality center for homeless people; Western Village, a transitional housing and empowerment program for single parents with children; and Christ’s Body Ministries, another daytime hospitality program.

Students Hilary Wieck and Naiya Panchal are leading a third trip called Service Hunters.  Participants don’t know the location of their service trip, but have been told their destination is an American Indian reservation. This is the second year for the Service Hunters trip.

About five people are taking part in this trip; however, service trip adviser Renee Sedlacek said they would like around 11 people. 

Although students pay $100 to go on a Tour Week service trip, a minimal amount of fundraising occurs for these trips. 

“These trips usually come together at the last minute…So there isn’t as much time to do things like fundraising. Most of the time spent together is used as get-to-know-each-other time,” Sedlacek said.