Some students on campus spent Valentine’s Day with their significant others, but a group of nearly 50 Eastern students spent their Valentine’s Day weekend cutting firewood.

They left on Valentine’s Day to help with the Shiloh Christian Children’s Ranch, a trip the Christian Campus House takes every year.

The student’s main job while at Shiloh was to cut firewood for the families to use to heat the five homes at the ranch.

“On this work trip we cut, split, and haul enough firewood to provide an entire year’s heat for their five homes. So, they depend on us coming every year,” said Roger Songer, Senior Campus Minister.

The ranch is located in the country outside the small town of Clarence, Missouri.

The ranch takes in children up to 15 years old from abused and neglected homes. There are 4 families that take in the children as their own.

“It’s amazing feeling knowing your helping out families and children that really need your services. The wood we cut is their supply for the whole year, its just unexplainable,” said Katie Zielinski, senior elementary education major.

Something that is as simple as cutting wood leads to great reward for these student volunteers.

“I have to say that splitting a piece of wood is a great feeling. Knowing that it goes to help heat the homes for the families makes it even sweeter,” said Kenny Haggard, a senior math major with teacher’s certification.

The students who participated in the trip said they enjoyed seeing the kids who live at Shiloh and interacting with them. Students who were making a return trip to Shiloh were able to get reacquainted with the children living there.

“They are so different from one another but come together as a family and its evident how strong the support in the homes is just in the way the kids treat each other and

how the older kids act,” Haggard said.

The Campus House usually takes anywhere from 35-50 students to work at the non-profit ranch, and all travel expenses are covered, except for meals during travel – however donations from students on the trip are accepted.

“We do take a free-will offering from the students to help cover the cost of the meals that Shiloh feeds us while we are there, and we give all proceeds from that offering directly to Shiloh,” Songer said.

Usually Songer attends the trip, however, this year one of the campus house board members, Bill Witsman, took charge of leading the trip this year.

This opportunity comes up once a year and many students wouldn’t miss it for anything.

“I know several people who work that hard every day for a job, much less a

great cause like cutting wood to heat homes for a whole year. When I was working with everyone else I didn’t think about how tiring it was,” Haggard said.

Ashley Mefford can be reached at 581-9742 or at almefford@eiu.edu.