Service Immersion
"Men for Others" is the Fairfield Prep motto. It means faith alone isn't enough — it needs to be put into action. Not only in the classroom or on the athletic field, but through service for others.Our four-year community service program involves boys in progressively meaningful volunteer work. Freshmen take part in a field day with inner-city children, sophomores and juniors perform multiple hours of service at a school, church or community. Seniors commit to ongoing weekly service throughout their academic year.
Prep students participate in trips both home — visiting Bridgeport schools and soup kitchens as part of an Urban Plunge — and abroad — spending a week on service projects in Appalachia, Florida, Jamaica and Ecuador.
We invite each student to deepen his relationship with God, and we believe the meaningful experience our students gain from service is a way to strengthen that relationship.
Collectively, students donate 23,000 volunteer hours each year to community, church or school, providing a living example of Prep's motto, "Men for Others."
Students and parents looking for sign-up forms for the 2018-19 immersion trips should visit our Parents & Students page.
A Glimpse at the Immersion Trips
Urban Plunge
The Urban Plunge is a simple living immersion experience in which Prep students live and serve in communities on the east side of Bridgeport. Over a three-day period, Prep students will spend time with children from Bridgeport elementary schools, prepare food for the needy at a local soup kitchen, and work on outdoor environmental projects such as at Groundwork Bridgeport.
Appalachia
Prep students travel to Appalachia for a week to help two communities in Virginia: Barren Springs and Fries. The volunteer opportunities vary each year, but the students assist these communities as many ways as possible in projects such as painting, landscaping, roofing and repairing porches.
Ecuador
Prep students visit communities around Guayaquil, Ecuador, for a week-long service immersion trip as part of the Rostro de Cristo lay volunteer program. Students in past trips have spent visiting schools, shelters and community centers in an effort to better understand the challenges these communities face.
Immokalee, Florida
The Immokalee trip sees Prep students visiting a small, south central Florida town known as a main center for agriculture in the state. Prep students spend time interacting with a diverse population of immigrants from countries like Mexico, Haiti and Guatemala by serving in school and work projects.
Jamaica
Students who attend the Jamaica trip are immersed in a service experience near Montego Bay. They join in outreach projects through the Mustard Seed Communities program. Some of the service opportunities include working with children and adults with disabilities.