New Jersey Service Trip

Senior Fernando Castillo Zelaya felt very fortunate after his service trip experiencing. He also really enjoyed the activities that they did. “We were set on a site called the Romero Center, with three other schools,” Fernando said.

Fernando elaborated on the activities that the group did for each day. “On Friday, we prepared meals to be delivered to people that needed it. On Saturday, we went to Urban Promise and cleaned up the area, doing whatever the people needed us to do.”

Fernando also talked about a daily challenge they had to face while on the trip. “We did a challenge for a day, spending $12 on food for four people. I was in a group that had the scenario “peanut allergy,” so we already had to exclude something on top of barely having anything to spend. In groups of four to six, we would discuss solutions to end progressive poverty.“ The group played a game of Monopoly to explain how poverty works. “We played a game of Monopoly, but you start out with a certain amount of cash and passing ‘Go,’ you could only get a certain amount (everyone’s was different). I was a middle class person, starting with $1000 and receiving $100 as I passed ‘Go.’ The point of the game was to show that the cycle of poverty doesn’t end for those with no help. The quote of the game was “the poor get poorer while the rich get richer.””

Senior Owen O’Connor really emphasized the history of this trip, The Romero Center, and Camden, New Jersey. “Camden is still one of the most dangerous cities in the country, but the people there care about the betterment of the city, and you could really see it with all of the outreach programs there,” Owen said.

Owen also learned about Saint Arnulfo Romero, who the Romero Center is named for. “The Romero Center is named after Saint Arnulfo Romero, who spoke up against the unfair treatment of the poor in El Salvador,” Owen said. “The center aims to continue his legacy of speaking for the poor by educating students and providing service to the poor.”

They also had interactions with residents of Camden and learned a lot from them, as well. Owen said, “We had interactions with the people of the community and those trying to lift the community up, and they described how the city has been looked down upon and the stigma that has been created.”

This annual trip is always helpful for both students and faculty of DeMatha, as well as the people of Camden, New Jersey. Students have realized that they are very fortunate for what they have and that they can have an instant impact not only on the residents of Camden, but on people around the world.