While many Ball State students will be in far off lands enjoying a week of rest and relaxation during Spring Break, 26 of them will be contributing to the communities they visit.
Ten students will be traveling to Chicago, where they will be doing service projects related to their majors. For instance, art majors will have the opportunity to work with elementary education students in art. The students will attend two plays while they are in Chicago. In addition to the plays, the students will also attend an urban safety workshop, which will explain how to live in and survive in an inner city.
Last year was the first time students went on the alternative Spring Break trip. The trip was to Caretta, West Virginia. According to J. R. Jamison, the program director for the alternative Spring Break, last year's trip was successful.
"It was so successful, we decided to expand it," he said.
Sixteen students will be traveling to Caretta this year to assist the community by doing roofing and painting jobs. They will also participate in a mother-infant program by buying supplies for single moms such as diapers and formula. Another program the students will partake in is the education enrichment program. According to Jamison, many students in Caretta do not graduate from high school. Therefore, the Ball State students will be talking to the high school students in Caretta about secondary education, financial aid and exploring their options after high school.
Last year, the students who went to Caretta volunteered at the Big Creek People in Action Center. The students helped get the center up-to-date by painting and restoring it. They also shoveled coal for use in heating people's homes.
The alternative Spring Break advisory board accepted applications for the trip until the end of January. The applications consisted of four essay questions pertaining to the students' interests and past experience, as well as why they thought they would be beneficial to the trip. After all of the applications were turned in, the board evaluated the essays and chose 26 applicants to go on the trip.
Beginning Feb. 3, the students attended orientation sessions every Friday up until the day of the trip. During the sessions, the students worked on group dynamics and teamwork. They also learned how to prepare for the trip and what to bring. The Career Center did a presentation on r�sum� writing at one of the sessions. The students will be required to attend a session after the trip, as well, to reflect on what they learned.
To raise money for the trip, the students did fund-raisers. The first fund-raiser was selling Valentine's Day cookie jars. The students sold 85 jars, which were 85 cents each.
The students also contacted local businesses and asked for donations. The businesses received a DVD of the footage from last year's trip to Caretta. Any business that contributed money toward the trip will have its logo printed on the students' T-shirts.
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