Lauren Sabo and Richard Kinsley, executive director of Ohio Campus Compact

Denison University senior Lauren Sabo, from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, has been awarded the Charles J. Ping Award by the Ohio Campus Compact.

Sabo, a sociology/anthropology major, has been deeply involved with Denison’s Habitat for Humanity program. As a member and president of Habitat for Humanity, she has organized four building trips, including one to El Salvador. Sabo serves as a member of the local Habitat board and has coordinated holiday gift boxes and neighborhood picnics for Habitat homeowners. Sabo participated on medical mission trips to Haiti and worked to raise more then $15,000 for the earthquake relief effort there. She hopes to break ground on a school in Calebasse, Haiti, and eventually help to establish a clinic there as well. In addition, Sabo received a grant to visit Botswana last summer to work with Habitat Global Village and with the chiefs of the country to raise awareness of substandard housing and poverty issues. Sabo is also a therapist for Denison’s Hope for Autism chapter, is a Denison Safe Zone counselor, and volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Sabo discussed her experience with Habitat for Humanity. “I have been able to see this organization grow, from building a doghouse with no active volunteer base my freshman year, to becoming one of the most successful volunteer organization on campus with over 150 active student volunteers. And there are more than 70 students traveling nationally and internationally each year to build during Denison’s winter and spring breaks. With such an incredible volunteer base, we are able to build more houses than ever — Licking County went from building a half a house per year to building 3-4 homes each year! I feel really good about the future of Habitat at Denison, and I foresee the number of lives being touched continue to grow each year.”

Denison President Dale T. Knobel commented on Sabo’s leadership qualities. “Lauren continues to challenge herself in each of her many leadership roles and grows with each experience. Her natural tenacity will continue to extend her leadership contributions in big and exciting ways. She is a young woman of great personal integrity and is able to understand both local and global needs.”

The Charles J. Ping Award is designed to recognize and honor undergraduate students’ outstanding leadership and contributions to community service on campus and within communities. In order to win the award, candidates must show evidence of exemplary community service, especially those efforts that connect service with academic study or programs with longterm community support.

The Ohio Campus Compact is a nonprofit membership organization of 47 Ohio colleges and universities with strong community service, service-learning, and civic engagement programs on their campuses.