F&M Stories
'Need Is Everywhere': Students, Faculty Help Rebuild Home in F&M's Backyard
Nine Franklin & Marshall students and 13 of the College's faculty, staff, friends and alumni spent the last week of winter break helping to repair and restore a home in Lancaster City.
Organized by F&M's Catastrophic Relief Alliance (CRA), the campus crew worked at a Manor Street property, framing, drywalling and doing electrical work. The effort was in concert with Impact Missions, a Lancaster organization that repairs structures for low-income families so they can stay in their homes.
"The Catastrophic Relief Alliance started 17 years ago after Hurricane Katrina," said Andy Gulati, F&M science librarian and CRA adviser. "We usually travel to areas of the Gulf Coast like New Orleans and Houson to rebuild homes affected by natural disasters, but last March, due to health and travel restrictions brought on by COVID-19, we had our first local rebuilding effort. Need is everywhere, even in our own backyard, and CRA is excited to help."
One CRA volunteer was Mark Ma, a sophomore from Vista, Calif., who is double majoring in business, organizations & society and cognitive science. "I've always had a passion for building things; I started building models when I was 6," he said. "I'm also passionate about helping other people. I thought, 'Why not combine the two and build something that helps other people?'"
Gulati notes that the group's next effort will be this March during spring break. The volunteers will travel to Paradise, Calif., working with Mennonite Disaster Services in an area recovering from 2018's Camp Fire, the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California's history.
Related Articles
July 14, 2025
F&M’s New President on Getting to Know the College: ‘The First Priority is to Listen’
As he steps into the role of president of Franklin & Marshall College, Andrew “Andy” Rich is spending time with members of the F&M community and learning what they value about being Diplomats. Rich was named Franklin and Marshall’s 17th president earlier this year, and his first official day in that role was July 12.
July 10, 2025
F&M to FBI: How Kristopher Martinez ’24 Embraced an Unexpected Opportunity
For Kristopher Martinez ’24, F&M wasn’t just a place to study business and government — here, he could live it, question it, and grow through it. Martinez said this immersive experience not only fostered skills in critical thinking, communication, and leadership, but instilled the confidence he needed to embrace unexpected opportunities — such as landing a role as a contract specialist with the FBI. “F&M gave me skills that have been essential in the start of my career,” he said. “I credit F&M for challenging me and allowing me to see untapped opportunities.”
July 8, 2025
How F&M Students Spend Summer Break
F&M’s signature blue Adirondack chairs are never empty for long. Meet several students spending their summer break on campus, as well as outside of Lancaster.