See USS on page 13 See Memorial on page 17 Volume XLIII, Issue 2
October 13, 2015
Colour splashing into the lives of students Nova Smith, a forensic science student at UOIT, enjoying a laugh at the mental health fair on October 6. The painting was to help express people’s emotions in an expressive manner instead of a destructive or harming way.
Tabitha Reddekop
NYC trip inspires Oshawa outreach Tabitha Reddekop The Chronicle
A UOIT student is starting her own homeless outreach in Oshawa inspired by a mission trip she took to New York City this past summer. Arden Ward, a chemistry student at UOIT, wants to build relationships with the homeless people of Oshawa because she believes simple things can make a difference in people’s lives. “Sometimes it’s as simple as saying, ‘hey, how is your day’ and having an actual conversation,” she says. “Telling them you love them and care about them can change their life.” Ward is leading other mission trip members to hand out food and get to know the homeless of Oshawa each month but is hoping more people will join her in the future. She was one of seven UOIT and Durham College students
who travelled to New York City for a week in August. A local church, Calvary Baptist, sent the students to teach them how to reach out to the homeless people around them. Nick Doyle, a pastor at the church led the team. He describes New York as a training ground. “It’s a good place to allow students to see the diverse culture, plus it’s like Toronto,” he says. He explains he likes to train students in another city to push them out of their comfort zone so they see they can do the same back home. Ward says she wanted to go on the trip because of all the homeless people she passes by in Oshawa everyday on her way to school. She wanted to know how to help them. The team ran missions such as McMission, where small groups went out with backpacks full of supplies and ham-
burgers from McDonald’s so they could sit down and have a meal with a homeless person. The most powerful nights on the trip were when they got to sit down and talk with people, says Ward. “It was the most humbling experience. We would literally get right down with them at their level, down on the sidewalk and share food with them while everyone else in New York City is rushing past you, tripping over you and giving you weird looks.” She says one man she got to sit down and talk with really inspired her to take action when she came home. He complained someone left a bag of food beside him while he was sleeping. He explained food wasn’t what he really needed. “He was more touched we had sat down to talk with him,” she says.
See Helping on page 11
Tabitha Reddekop
SERVING WITH SMILES: Arden Ward and Nick Doyle with supplies for a children’s ministry inside the Living Waters Fellowship where they stayed in Brooklyn, New York.