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Faith and service are at the heart of the Loyola Marymount community. Prior to Winter Break, students could be found volunteering through university–run programs to benefit the community. The campus is now quiet, and while many of our students have gone home to share the warmth of the season with family and friends, others are preparing to travel the globe – driven by the Jesuit tradition and its commitment to social justice.

LMU's Center for Service and Action (CSA) is making the season merry and bright for students and many others in a variety of festive ways, including celebrating their 12th annual "Fiesta de Navidad." Over 300 students made the trip to the Dolores Mission Parish in Los Angeles' Boyle Heights for a Mass, holiday arts and crafts, great food, and cheerful music – all in an effort to collect canned goods and hygiene products for the Guadalupe Homeless Project.

"During the year we are all so very busy with the all–consuming realities of life," Lorena Chavez, Assistant Director for Community Engagement said, "but the holidays are an important time to take a breath, think of others, and share our blessings."

There are plenty of opportunities for giving at LMU. In fact, CSA also recently held its 10th annual Holiday Drive. This year, students and staff collected gifts and supplies for the Good Shepherd Shelter, an organization dedicated to stopping the generational cycle of domestic violence towards women and children by providing services, shelter, and raising community awareness.

Good Shepherd aims to help mothers gain financial and emotional independence, while children are taught interpersonal skills that are respectful and violence–free and brought up to grade level in their studies.

"The purpose of the drive is to provide the shelter's women and children with necessities and toys that are brand new and can feel like their own," Chavez said.

"That's the kind of joy we want to spread."

Chavez added that LMU alums continue to have the Lion spirit long after graduating as well. For instance, alumna Karina Franco '07 partnered with the drive and hosted a birthday party for her six–year–old daughter where guests were asked to bring school supplies to donate in lieu of birthday gifts. Co–sponsors of this year's drive include: LMU Staff Senate, Campus Recreation, and Student Housing, among others.

As the rest of us prepare to ring in the New Year, several LMU students will be venturing to such far–off locales as India and Morocco as part of CSA's Alternative Break (AB) program.

13 different AB trips are planned over the course of this and next year, to virtually every corner of the globe, dealing with a myriad of social justice and health issues.

"The goal of the AB trips is to develop active citizens that prioritize being in solidarity with oppressed communities," said Jessica Viramontes, Alternative Breaks Program Coordinator.

Viramontes describes the AB program philosophy as "educational learning experiences," where students learn in depth about a social justice issue before they embark on their trip, then learn alongside the community, through workshops and hands–on experience. Upon their return students are expected to become advocates and take action around those issues.

New social justice trips and destinations added to the 2016–17 slate include trips on Climate Justice to Bolivia, Education and Interfaith to India, and LGBTQ & Public Health issues to New York.

LMU Lions are committed to social justice and many are actively working to make the world a better place. We at Loyola Marymount University wish you and yours a peaceful holiday season. If you are interested in becoming a part of the LMU community, begin your journey and...