At CSU we are given the opportunity to serve our community and world on many levels everyday.  This year we have partnered with 12 diverse organizations that have local, national and worldwide bases. The goal is to take and use the talents of our student body to make a true impact in the lives on those that need us while allowing God to impact our lives as we grow together as a campus.  Take advantage of these service opportunities. If you are led to get involved e-mail Campus Ministries and you will be contacted as events come about throughout the year.

Habitat for Humanity

CSU is once again sponsoring our own house for a needy family. Our site is located just up the road at 108 Fenick Drive in Moncks Corner.  Habitat For Humanity International is a well-known service organization that has been a part of building more than 350,000 homes for those in need. As for opportunities to serve, this is what is going on NOW. We are able to build a family an entire house, and the memories for yourself and the family in need with last a lifetime.  Our goal is to have construction completed by Thanksgiving. Teams go out on Fridays from 1-5 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Please e-mail Campus Ministries or stop by the office in the Brewer center to sign up or for more information.

Water Missions International

Eight hundred eighty million people do not have access to safe drinking water. Two and a half million do not have proper sanitation practices in place to ensure the safety of their water. This makes the reason for Water Missions International (WMI) quite clear. WMI is a nonprofit, Christian engineering organization that has been rolling for more than 10 years.  They have been able to complete almost 40 projects to increase safe water flow all over the world. Along with bases worldwide, WMI is headquartered right here in Charleston. Volunteering is crucial to the proper functioning of this organization. To get more information on how to get involved in our local branch and beyond check this link.

Compassion International

“Releasing children from poverty: Compassion in Jesus name.”   The goal of Compassion International is to help children who do not have the opportunities that we may take for granted. They are a Christian organization who aims to “release children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults.” They offer many ways for you to make a difference. The website will guide you through some simple yet powerful opportunities to make a difference. You can choose to sponsor a child, or contribute to one of many listed options that may be close to your heart such as kids in regions affected by malaria or AIDS, the global food cause, or you can give your contribution to be placed where it is most needed. Your gifts can save a life in the physical and spiritual sense. http://www.compassion.com/

In Every Story

If you attended Love Awakening, you may remember seeing the video about this nonprofit, temporary employment agency. In Every Story was started by a Charleston native named Derek Snook. His compassionate heart discovered the need for not just a place for the homeless to go at night but a way to help homeless or near homeless become self-sufficient so that they can reenter the workforce with their heads held high and hopefully their hearts full of Christ’s love and salvation. The organization has a lot to offer those in need. They are given the opportunity to make fair wages, taught ways to save their wages and are drug tested in an attempt to keep them honest and moving toward a better life. They are coached with Christian love the whole way through. This organization needs support and followers as it strives to make a difference in our local area. The potential is great in Charleston and beyond. Follow the blog for the stories, background and service opportunities, and join IES on Facebook  for updates and information and to show support. Get the word out… In Every Story there is a life to change.

Lowcountry Orphan Relief

 “We are a nonprofit organization that provides services and aid to abandoned, abused and neglected children in the Charleston area to specifically intervene where government aid ends,” says the mission statement as stated by the LOR website. It is a wonderful way to get involved with the needs of children right here where we are.  If you have a heart for children, you are encouraged to visit the website and seek ways to get involved with LOR.

Convoy of Hope

The Charleston chapter of Convoy of Hope has some big things going on to help the Lowcountry on October 23. With the help of volunteers and local business, the Convoy base in Missouri, Without Walls Ministry and people like you, they will be able to host a one day compassion event that will provide 1,000 bags of food for the needy along with haircuts, health information, a kids zone and helpful community information to those in need in our area. There are many ways to get involved in this one day event and with the link above you can also check out how to get involved with Without Walls Ministry, an affiliate of Convoy of Hope. Take the time on this day to show that you care in the name of God. Click here for information on volunteering.

Eagle Harbor Boys Ranch “Empowering Children to Soar Beyond Their Circumstances”

Eagle Harbor Boys Ranch is a safe place for children to go from the age of 6-21 who have been neglected, abused and abandoned. The mission is to give the kids the strength to rise above the circumstances of their past and show them that they have great opportunities ahead of them. There are many ways to serve Eagle Harbor and assist them in making their goals a reality. The website leads you to a list of simple ways you can help such as, donating small items for use in the home, becoming a Christmas sponsor for a child or giving of your special talents. Please visit their website for more information on ways you can give of yourself by giving to others. They are also on Facebook.

Miracle League

“If I were to tell you about an organized youth baseball league, you might call it ordinary. If I were to tell you the athletes are physically and mentally challenged, you might call it touching. If you were to see them play you would call it a Miracle.” This is the script on the homepage of this life-changing organization. In 1997 Coach Eddie Bagwell invited the first disabled child to play on his team. That 7-year-old wheelchair bound little boy didn’t miss a practice or a game that year. From that first little boy two years later the Miracle League was in full swing. There are now more than 200 Miracle League organizations in America and 100 in Puerto Rico. The goal is to increase that to 500. They desire to offer an event in every city so that all kids will have a chance to feel the satisfaction and pride that playing on a team can provide. Click here for more information on Miracle League. CSU already participates in the Summerville Miracle League

Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee

You like coffee… right? How about hot tea?  “What if your coffee could transform a village? With Land of a Thousand Hills coffee you have the ability to do just that. The coffee beans are grown in Rwanda. The economic stimulus granted by the coffee cultivation there has meant the world to this needy land. The proceeds of the sales are also used to promote a better life for people of the region by building orphanages, holding finance classes for entrepreneurs and lending “coffee bikes” to assist in safer travel methods for the locals,” according to their website. This short description does this cause no justice. Please go to the website, Drink Coffee Do Good, and see for yourself. There you will find more information and ways to purchase the products. You may have tried the coffee already if you went to the rally after Love Awakening. The really energetic guy at the front shared some great coffee and stories with us.

Human Trafficking

This is a serious issue that is not just happening overseas. The U.S. has human beings wrapped up in the restraints of human trafficking. There are two major forms, sex and labor. The website listed gives you information on how to recognize if a person is a victim as well as some explanations of how someone may get tied up in this merciless ordeal. The biggest way to begin the end of human trafficking is to get the word out. You can research ways to prevent it along with ways to protect those who are victims. If you are interested in taking down human traffickers please look at the website and get informed. As a school we can pull together and make a difference.

Celebration Station

Celebration Station is a local ministry that CSU has been involved with in the past. The center is located in the heart of need in North Charleston on Spruill Avenue. In the past we have worked with them on Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas projects and a number of other ventures dealing with families and children. This is a call to local, hands on work that will nurture and provide for our inner-city, less fortunate, fellow Charlestonians. This need is huge and a little time donated to the efforts of Celebration Station can go a long way.

You will be hearing more about these organizations and a few others not listed throughout the year. It is your job to step up to the plate and get involved.  God is needed in the lives of the people represented by these organizations.  Not every opportunity is a clear cut time to share the story of Christ, but every offering of service is a time to share the love of Christ through your actions. 

Send an e-mail to Campus Ministries if one of these organizations/causes spoke to your heart. You will be contacted as serving opportunities arise.  You can also call the office 843-863-7218 or stop by in the Brewer Center. You can keep up with the projects and new information by attending Elevate on Thursdays at 8 p.m. in the Caf.