Carolina A. Hernandez arrived at Lehigh University eight years ago to help connect the school with the surrounding neighborhoods, mainly low income Spanish-speaking residents.
As director of Lehigh’s Community Services office in Bethlehem, Pa., Hernandez leads a major initiative called “Move-Out.” Before Lehigh students leave their dormitories for the summer, they donate items they don’t take back home: clothes, shoes, toys, televisions and small refrigerators. The items are sold to needy families for low prices: stuffed animals – $0.25; shoes – $0.50; men’s and women’s jeans – $1; men’s and women’s dress clothes – $3; and small refrigerators – $15 to $20.
The 30-year-old Cuban-American says the program has generated $50,000 over the last 10 years with all the money used to support neighborhood programs sponsored by the Community Services office.
“We even got a 42-inch TV this year that we might sell for $25. I have seen families do their shopping for the kids and can get a whole new wardrobe for $20, and all the clothing is in good condition,” says Hernandez, who graduated from the University of Miami with bachelor’s degrees in international studies and political science. “We could sell these items for a lot higher prices. Some people in South Bethlehem need these items. We are part of this community, and we should help out.”
The Community Services office does more than just donate goods to the residents of Bethlehem, which is 20 percent Latino. About 100 Lehigh students tutor the same number of elementary and middle school students through its “America Reads, America Counts” program. For its efforts, the office received the president’s Community Service Honor Roll award, co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, “for exemplary service efforts to America’s communities” for a second consecutive year.
The Community Services office, which includes 14 Lehigh students, works with another 80 elementary and middle school students in homework clubs to improve their performance in reading, English and other subjects.
