Doing Justice: The Berea College Micah 6 Transportation Project

Have you ever needed to get somewhere, but couldn't due to lack of transportation? It happens to all of us from time to time if our car breaks down or we are temporarily without one. But for some members of our community, it's a constant problem in a small town with no public transportation. There are many different reasons for not having a car of one's own, and many senior citizens as well as other residents find themselves in this predicament. A new service project at CELTS is making a difference for some of them.

The Micah 6 Transportation Project began in fall 2002 and is a collaboration among several groups, including the Bonner Scholars Program, Campus Ministry, People Who Care, and Union Church. Berea residents in need of occasional transportation to a doctor's appointment, the grocery store, pharmacy, bank, or post office, fill out an application, return it to the Micah 6 Team at CELTS, and receive information on how to make a request. Meanwhile, a group of student volunteer drivers stand ready to respond to those requests. The service is limited to a five mile radius around Berea, and to requests that can be completed within a two hour time period.

In order to be successful, the project needs a vehicle available every day, and so, with funds from the Bonner Foundation, CELTS purchased a used car -- lovingly dubbed the "Micah 6 Mobile." The person who fields the calls and assigns the volunteers is Patrick McGrady, Coordinator of People Who Care, and member of the Micah 6 Team.

The seeds for our project were planted in several different locations. Three years ago the Bonner Foundation gave Bonner Scholar Programs the opportunity to propose a project that would be a partnership between the campus and a local church. If accepted, Bonner would fund the project through a $5,000 grant. Five years ago the National Council of Churches spearheaded what it also called "Micah 6," an effort to encourage local churches to examine their commitment to the biblical passage found in Micah 6:8 " What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God?" In other words, put faith into action. Union Church became a Micah 6 congregation at that time, so it was a perfect partner for the transportation project.

Now that we had the partner, we needed to choose a project. And this is when we found that other seeds had been planted by students in a service-learning class, Nursing 349: Community Health Nursing and Leadership II, spring term 2002, taught by Professors Brenda Hosley and Laura Crawford. In a community needs assessment completed in fall 2001, Nursing students Corey Russell ('02) and Misty Penn ('02) determined that lack of transportation could be a contributing factor to poor health when senior citizens and others could not get to doctors' appointments, to the pharmacy for prescriptions, or to the grocery store on a regular basis. Challenged in their class to come up with a solution to this problem, Corey and Misty approached several CELTS programs about collaborating on a community transportation project. The pilot project took place during April and May 2002, with referrals coming through the Berea Senior Center.

As with any new undertaking, it takes time to organize, publicize, and get started. One of the challenges we face is the college calendar, and how to provide service when classes are not in session during breaks and the summer. Here is where Union Church plays its part. We already have several volunteer drivers among church members and we hope to recruit more.

For more information about the Micah 6 Transportation Project, please contact Sheila Lyons, CELTS Administrative Assistant.