We know that the habits that students start here at school translate to their experience when they become a part of the workforce -- when they become part of our communities.

So with REACH, we want to create opportunities for them to become engaged with local nonprofits with churches so that they can serve our communities with the love of Jesus. They experience the joy that comes from serving one another. The Lord blesses when we bless people. So we want to provide students with as many opportunities as we can.

I've gotten to see how the body of Christ interacts in work, and not just in school. And so I get to see a different angle of the community by learning how to serve, you know, going alongside staff and faculty as they're serving the students and as they're serving the community. You know, I get to learn from them how to serve.

Service opens your heart to vulnerability, not only like yourself to be completely vulnerable but to meet other people in ways you didn't know them before, be that helping hand in circumstances that we would have never imagined to be in.

There's a really special bond that you build with people that you're working with because a lot of times work involves some sort of struggle or challenge. You build connections with people in a different way, when you're struggling alongside them. And that can build some of the strongest relationships you have with anybody.

You know, also when students are serving with one another, when they're working alongside where they're putting sweat equity into the love they're doing, we know that relationships are formed in unique ways and people begin to develop partnerships of service with one another. And again, that's the type of experience that we want to have to happen when students -- not only when students are here -- but when students graduate, as well.