SU CASA

SU CASA is a national award-winning service-learning course and mission trip taught and led by Susquehanna University Chaplain Mark Radecke, D.Min.. Participants travel to Costa Rica and Nicaragua for two weeks over winter break and earn two semester hours of academic credit while serving at mission sites including congregations, clinics, refugee and immigrant communities, hospitals and an orphanage on Isla Ometepe (a volcanic island in Lake Nicaragua).

Frequently Asked Questions:

What does “SU CASA” mean?

CASA is an acronym meaning “Central America Service Adventure,” but in Spanish, “su casa” means "his/her/their house." As our Central American friends open their homes and churches to us, we experience the warm hospitality of their houses and the house of the Lord.

Where are the service sites?

• Iglesia Luterana Sola Fe (Faith Alone Lutheran Church), San Sebastian, Costa Rica
• Centro Infantil Cristiano Nicaragüense (Nicaraguan Christian Orphanage), Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua
• Clinics and hospitals in Pavas and Carpio, Costa Rica; and Moyogalpa, Altagracia and Balgüe on Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua
  

What is the history of SU CASA?

Since SU CASA's start in 1999, ten teams totaling more than 240 members of the Susquehanna University community have spent two weeks living, working, worshipping, playing and praying with members of local communities. They have delivered a combined total of more than $350,000 in materials and cash gifts and have contributed over 10,900 hours of volunteer service.

How has SU CASA been recognized?

In 2008, SU CASA received two awards from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), the preeminent national organization for student affairs in higher education. The first is the International Best Practice Award for Student Philanthropy, which recognizes internationally based programming sponsored by higher education institutions. The second is the Bronze Award for Excellence, which identifies SU CASA as one of the top three programs in the country in the category of Careers, Academic Support, Service Learning and Community Service.

For more information contact Mark Wm. Radecke, Chaplain at 570-372-4220.