During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Center for Humanitarian Engagement at Walla Walla University is responding to a variety of needs in the local community and beyond.
Instrumental to that response is the CHE Ambassadors program. CHE Ambassadors are WWU students who are being trained to respond to specific needs related to COVID-19 especially for the elderly, health care providers, the unemployed, and others both in Walla Walla and in the communities where Ambassadors live. Ambassadors lead in initiatives such as thanking health care providers, providing worship experiences for children, and facilitating connections between students and faculty.
“One of the primary needs in our local community at this point is to continue supporting children, many of whom are now at home without resources or support,” said David Lopez, director of the CHE. “One way we can help is by creating online content that some of these children can access.”
CHE volunteers are helping to create an online platform and content for His Kids in Action, a WWU student-led club that offers support for children in the Walla Walla Valley. This new content will help children involved in the program to stay connected with their support system of WWU students. Volunteers are also developing craft packages for kids who are studying from home during the pandemic.
Additionally, CHE volunteers are helping the Walla Walla Friends of Children program move forward with their work to connect children with positive mentors by building a new website, creating a presence on social media, and developing new online content for the organization.
CHE is supporting the work of local health care providers by providing templates and shopping lists for making personal protective equipment, and CHE graphic designers are creating thank you cards to distribute to local health care providers.
“The WWU core theme of generosity in service is a theme that is central to the work of the CHE,” said David Lopez, director of the CHE. “Our work is all about growing in Christ through service and providing opportunities for lives to be changed.”
To help with these projects and others like them, contact Lopez at che@wallawalla.edu or (509) 527-2100.
Posted April 7, 2020
