One of his professors commented that the College of Charleston sophomore, “…definitely personifies volunteer spirit.”
Most recently, Fritz’s volunteerism took him to the Hurricane Katrina-battered city of Waveland, Miss. to participate in the College of Charleston’s Alternative Spring Break 2007. During this event, Fritz and other C of C students traveled to the Gulf Coast to help a grassroots organization – The Waveland Citizen’s Fund - with the clean-up effort in the devastated town. Fritz wanted to point out that, “Although Waveland was one of the cities hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina, it received very little attention. Rather than a rebuilding effort, this community is still in the process of cleaning up.” With his help, communities like Waveland are finally finding a place to start their rebuilding efforts.
When he first arrived on campus as a freshman, Fritz knew that he had an opportunity to continue serving the public as he had done back in his Kentucky hometown. By simply going to the CHEC (Cougars Helping Enhance the Community) center on campus, Fritz felt that he was provided a long list of volunteer opportunities that led to his participation in the Alternative Spring Break and other public service efforts. “Lauren Collier and the folks down at the CHEC center are awesome!" Fritz says.
About Fritz Stine...
Hometown: Fort Thomas, Ky.
Degree Objective: Political Science
Expected Date of Graduation: May 2020 (really Fritz???)
Current Volunteer Activities: Most notably, I am involved with Habitat for Humanity on John’s Island. Every Saturday, I drop in with a group of friends and work from 6:00am to 4:00pm. We wake-up early, sweat, and help build a house for someone. It is awesome to know that as a result of the group’s efforts, a person will have a place to live and sleep. Helping people can be fun.
What are you most proud of contributing to your organization? I do feel good about leading by example; I am happy to contribute. Getting others involved and then seeing them do good things makes me proud.
What is your most memorable volunteer experience? My most memorable experience actually had more to do with building awareness than volunteering. Last year during the National Poverty Awareness Week, my buddy Chuck came up with the idea of creating a shanty town behind Addelstone Library. For a week, my friends and I slept in cardboard boxes and lived and ate as one can without money or food. It was cold and we were all pretty hungry, but it was a powerful experience. We spent the evenings talking about ways to make the world a better place.
How do you think your friends and family would describe you? It isn’t something I think about often, but I know that when my mom mentions me, she says I am the one who doesn’t wear any shoes.
Previous Volunteer Activities: Back at home, I was always involved with public service and activism. In high school I was involved with the Environmental Club, Amnesty International, and various independent protests. My dad was always a great example and always stressed the importance of community involvement; we often volunteered at local soup kitchens. My friends and I also spent a lot of time cleaning up the community
What do you enjoy about community service? I really enjoy raising awareness and getting others informed on important issues. By sharing ideas and leading by example, hands are connected, the mass gains momentum, and the force gets stronger. When we get the ideas out, some of the folks on campus may become better informed about issues they have not been involved with in the past. I am just one person, but that is how you get the word out – one person at a time.
How do your friends/co-workers describe you? Serious, meticulous, hard working
What would you tell someone who is thinking about volunteering? I think volunteering is very important but also think that there should be a purpose behind the act. If someone was thinking about volunteering, I would ask them why they were volunteering and then help them find opportunities to feed this purpose.
What your plans after graduation? As Martin Luther King said, I want to be a weapon of justice and sword that heals. I want to live day-to-day and spread myself thin. Knowing nothing is going to change my world, I want to surround myself with optimistic people and friends to keep me in check. I just want to live.
To find out more about the volunteer opportunities at the College of Charleston, you can visit the Office of Service-Learning’s website at www.cofc.edu/~servicelearning. To learn more about the volunteer work going on in Waveland, Miss. to support the Hurricane Katrina clean-up effort, you can visit www.wavelandcitizensfund.org.
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