At a summer service work project, Mariana Luna-Martinez was asked to build a labyrinth. This was daunting on two fronts, she recalls. Not only did she have no idea how to do it \u2013 she wasn\u2019t even sure what it was.<\/p>\n
As her team of volunteers picked up shovels and spades and began to dig up the grass behind a church in Hazlet, New Jersey, Luna-Martinez tried to figure out a plan for creating what she learned was a meditative maze. \u201cIt was very hot that first day and it was trial and error. It looked like we got nothing done.\u201d But day two went smoother and by the end of the week, Luna-Martinez and her team of Bonner Leaders had created a prayer labyrinth with seven rings.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe progress was amazing,\u201d she said. \u201cWe sat down, we analyzed what we did wrong and what we did right and applied that knowledge to calculate the circles, to place bricks and pebbles. It was a beautiful moment for me because literally the first day we were asking, \u2018How are we going to do this?\u2019 We came together, thought outside the box and then did math and applied everything we knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
The work was part of the Bonner Leader Program\u2019s summer orientation for both incoming and continuing students at Montclair State University. Chosen through a competitive application process emphasizing service and leadership, the Bonners are part of a nationwide network of more than 80 colleges and universities that provide service-based scholarships and work-study funds to support intensive undergraduate community service and social justice activities throughout their college careers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bonner Leader program is one of the growing number of public service programs at Montclair where students truly embody the spirit of service we hope all individuals in New Jersey will someday display,\u201d says Krystal Woolston, assistant director of the Center for Community Engagement.<\/p>\n
Traveling to Monmouth County in mid August, the Bonners painted the soffits around St. John\u2019s United Methodist Church, stained the outdoor worship center, volunteered at a church food pantry, and worked on homes in the local community. Combined, the Bonner group volunteered more than 1,400 hours to the church and local community.<\/p>\n