Volunteer stories

Catholic Heart Work Camp

Catholic Heart Work Camp worked with LaCasa from June 20 through the 23rd.  Volunteers came from around the country to stay in Mishawaka. They drove to Elkhart and Goshen daily to help us with projects.  The young people mulched and weeded at Water Tower Place and Arbor Ridge Apartments.  Others tore out fixtures at 1101 W. Lincoln and replaced the play structure at Arbor Ridge.  They also helped to clean up after a move out at one of our scattered site rental homes.  All this in four days, working over 636 hours!  Catholic Heart Work Camp has been volunteering at LaCasa since 2002 and we appreciate that they keep coming back to LaCasa for a good volunteer experience. 

Merit Learning Center

Merit Learning Center has connected with LaCasa, Inc. as a Service Learning partner for the last two years.  For much of that time, student volunteers have come out once a week and worked on renovating houses.  This year, we are trying something new:  LaCasa is looking at new landscaping for Roosevelt Center in Elkhart, and Merit is doing much of the planning as well as the actual work.  Last fall, Merit students prepared the soil in designated areas around the property.  As the winter weather took hold, local landscape designer Lucie Martin joined the project to teach students about native plants and designing for their best use. Students presented their design ideas to her last week (see picture).  Students will also seek donations of plants and will do the actual planting as the weather allows. 

Northwestern University

Students from Northwestern University suit up for some dirty work at The Shoots Building during their week in Goshen.

Alternate Student Break is a college program during which groups of students choose to volunteer at designated locations. A group of eight students from Northwestern University came to live in LaCasa’s conference room for a week! They spent most of their days working at the Shoots building, but they found time for a meal with an Amish family, a trip to a festival at Bonneyville Mill, and a stop at Notre Dame on their way home. They even joined us for an All-Staff meeting, where they learned more about the inner workings of LaCasa. To quote our building services staff, “They worked like Wildcats!” LaCasa has enjoyed these visits from both Northwestern and the University of Illinois students during the last three years.