As families gather for Thanksgiving feasts, 37 West Virginia University students will be serving up an extra helping of caring and goodwill to survivors of Hurricane Wilma.

The group of 30 undergraduate and seven graduate student volunteersaccompanied by trip co-adviser Chatman Neely, Wheeling coordinator of WVU ’s master’s of social work programwill leave Friday, Nov. 18, for the Miami . They plan to return Sunday, Nov. 27.

While on location, assignments may range from shelter work, child care and food service tojust being an ear for someone to talk to,said Franchesca Nestor, assistant program coordinator for the Office of Service Learning Programs.

Many students felt paralyzed right after the disaster,she said.They were saying things like, they didn’t have a lot of money to contribute because they were students. But this was a way they could help out in a fairly big way, using their time and energy to make a difference.

The trip, which will have an academic component, is being coordinated through the Office of Service Learning Programs and the Division of Social Work in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. The Red Cross is covering the cost of housing, transportation and meals.

Students who participate will receive three hours of academic credit for 493/693 Social Work, a course in service learning with a disaster relief focus.

What’s bringing the group together is this really respectful, mindful awareness that they want to help and volunteer,Neely said.There’s an explosion of sincere desire to help.

The coursework will cover rural flooding, the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and the rebuilding of community,said Kim Colebank, director of the Office of Service Learning Programs.I really want them to understand how experiential learning worksthat there is an academic learning experience to be had in every situation.

Other objectives are to demonstrate an understanding of one’s own background and how that influences others through a group experience and to understand how social institutions respond to natural disasters, Neely added.

As part of their coursework, students will read about service learning, civic engagement and the psychological aftermath of trauma in preparation for the trip. They will also undergo CPR certification and first aid training, and they have the option of taking specialized training in American Red Cross disaster response.

Additionally, some students will apply what they have learned in their individual majors to special projects. Barclay Fuellgraf, a junior broadcast journalism major from Allison Park, Pa., plans to tape interviews with Red Cross relief workers and hurricane survivors to air on U92 , WVU’s campus radio station, and Mollie Pettit, a sophomore elementary education major from Bruceton Mills, will complete a photography project.

More than 80 students applied for 35 spots. Those selected are:

• Amanda Bohrman, a junior occupational therapy major from Elkins Park , Pa.

• Kellie Bonham, a graduate student in social work from Lansing , Ohio

• Jason Clark, a senior sociology and anthropology major from Marietta , Ga.

• Rebekah Clark, a senior nursing major from Harpers Ferry

• Brandon DeMatteis, a freshman social work major from Morgantown

• William DeMoss, a junior journalism and anthropology double major from Washington , Pa.

• Joseph DiCesare, a graduate student in social work from Wheeling

• Joshua England, a sophomore political science major from Pineville

• Barclay Fuellgraf, a junior broadcast journalism major from Allison Park, Pa.

• Teresa Fumich, a graduate student in social work from Moundsville

• Daniel Funk, a senior political science major from Hedgesville

• Timothy Golden, a sophomore philosophy major from Morgantown

• Brittany Gramsky, a sophomore business and economics major from Cranberry Township , Pa.

• Erin Graydon, a sophomore public relations major from Ashburn , Va.

• Kimberly Griffith, a junior mechanical engineering major from Hummelstown , Pa.

• Jonathan Hackworth, a junior business administration and political science double major from Charleston

• Maggie Hagberg, junior nursing student from Rochester , N.Y.

• Rishira Hill-Walter, a junior Regents Bachelor of Arts student from Morgantown

• Katelyn Jones, a junior nursing major from Arlington , Va.

• Erin Kincaid, a sophomore criminology major from Loveland , Ohio

• Jessica Lanham, a graduate student in school counseling from Capon Bridge

• Abigail McDonald, a sophomore criminology major from North Potomac, Md.

• Erin McDonald, a graduate student in social work from Wheeling

• Kevin Patrick, a sophomore sociology major from Morgantown

• Mollie Pettit, a sophomore elementary education major from Bruceton Mills

• Barbara Radebaugh, a senior sport and exercise psychology major from Mason , Ohio

• Laura Sinclair, a sophomore political science major from Daniels

• Christina Smith, a junior journalism major from Pittsburgh

• Robert Steele, a graduate student in social work from Wheeling

• Jennie Terman, a senior sociology major from Morgantown

• Casey Tominack, a senior English major from Valley Grove

• Benjamin Truschel, a junior mechanical and aerospace engineering major from Morgantown

• Adam Walker, a junior biology major from Anchorage , Alaska

• Andrea Wamsley, a junior athletic training major from Valley Bend

• Fabrice Yewawa, a junior political science major from Morgantown

In addition to these 35 students, two others are participating in leadership roles: trip co-adviser Jackie Mitchell, a graduate student in counseling from Chester , Va. , works in the Office of Service Learning Programs and helped develop the course. Justin Ayersman, a senior multidisciplinary studies major from Morgantown , has been instrumental in facilitating communication with the Red Cross.

As WVU continues to help those affected by the recent hurricanes, the Office of Service Learning Programs hopes to organize another trip to the Gulf Coast next semester, and the College of Creative Arts plans to organize a spring fund-raiser.

To learn more about the University’s relief efforts, go tohttp://www.wvu.edu/katrina/.