Centre College's Megan Radenhausen recognized for outstanding community service

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Megan Radenhausen (far right) during a summer internship in Ghana

DANVILLE, KY (01/20/2014)(readMedia)-- Megan Radenhausen of Edgewood, a senior at Centre College, is no stranger to community service; however, she took service to a new level this past fall, logging 1,300 hours at Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center (BRCC), a feat which earned her BRCC's volunteerism commitment award.

BRCC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide refuge for victims of sexual assault, to advocate for victims and to educate the community about sexual assault and human trafficking. BRCC provides crisis intervention, therapy, advocacy and education services to 17 counties in the Bluegrass Region. All services offered are free of charge, including a 24-hour hotline.

The award is more than just a recognition of sheer hours spent on-call or at the hospital; it also signals the extra commitment Radenhausen made in the face of scant volunteer help. Rather than allow BRCC to suffer from too few volunteers, Radenhausen stepped up her commitment to cover unfilled shifts, as her 1,300 hours attest.

Radenhausen has devoted herself to this organization in large part due to the people she is helping.

"My favorite experience is knowing that I'm actually able to make a difference for these individual's during an extremely traumatic experience," she says, "especially when they don't have anyone else to be there with them. Their strength really inspires me, and I'm grateful to help out in any way I can."

The volunteer work has also given the psychology and anthropology/sociology major invaluable experience in the field.

"I've gotten practical experience interacting with different individuals who have recently suffered a trauma," she says. "It's something you can never learn from a textbook. Seeing how different people cope and being able to lend any kind of support helps me learn ways that I can be most beneficial to the people I am helping. This is particularly useful since I want to work with people who have suffered traumas or abuse."

And though she is providing a much-needed service to the community, Radenhausen feels she is the one who has benefitted most from her service.

"It really humbles and inspires me to witness different people's strength in everything that they overcome," she says. "Working at BRCC has opened my eyes to problems I didn't previously know existed, and for that I will always be thankful."

Radenhausen is the daughter of Russ and Kathy Radenhausen of Edgewood and is a graduate of Scott High School.