During their fall break, 15 Pfeiffer University students, under the direction of Pfeiffer’s Center for Outdoor Leadership (COL), traveled to Tennessee to raft on the Ocoee River and build kennels for Wayeh Working Housedogs, an organization that breeds, trains and rescues AKC Alaskan malamutes.
Under the direction of student leaders Beth Kaufmann and Zach Thompson and Quinton McKissick, Pfeiffer’s director of outdoor leadership, the team laid foundations for three kennels and rebuilt five others, each measuring 12-feet-by-10-feet; repaired 25 chain link fences; and hauled away 20 cubic yards of trash. The team also repaired a stairway leading from the owner’s home on the property to the kennels, a project that substantially improves safety for owner Sidney Helen Sach.
“We had a great time while building friendships and kennels,” said Ali Carr, a first-year student. “We learned that teamwork is key for achieving a common goal.”
The project reflects Pfeiffer University’s mission, which highlights servant leadership as a priority in students’ educational experiences. In this case, the University’s Center for Outdoor Leadership, Francis Center and The Village Church collaborated to offer an opportunity for students to combine adventure with meaningful service, both of which build skills and self-confidence while delivering the message that receiving is tied to giving of oneself.
“The joy on the owner’s face at the end of the project made all our hard work worth the effort,” said Pfeiffer student Tony Carnes.