During Spring Break, most students will go home or on vacation to the beach. However, 29 graduate and undergraduate students are taking advantage of the Alternative Spring Break opportunity and heading toward Tuscaloosa, Ala., to help the One Mission Initiative with tornado relief from the storms in April 2011.
"We are anticipating helping with things such as demolition, painting and similar jobs, but we are not sure on the specifics until we get there," senior information systems major Marissa Wynn said.
This will be Wynn's fourth Alternative Break. Her first trip was in 2010, where she helped with hurricane relief in Galveston, Texas. After that trip, she joined the Alternative Breaks Advisory Board and has become more involved in the planning and preparations for these trips. She has been on two Alternative Fall Break trips as well.
Brandi Terry is the chair of the Alternative Breaks Advisory Board, which puts these trips together. This is the fifth Alternative Spring Break she has attended.
"I just love these trips, and I think they're something everyone should try at least once," said the senior magazine journalism and women's studies major. "You can go to the beach and party, and that's fun and good, but these trips allow you to make a real, concrete difference in the world and in the lives of others."
Terry said she does volunteer work on a regular basis in Muncie and she loves the opportunity to volunteer across the nation. Her first Alternative Spring Break was during 2008 in Jonesville, Va., working with Appalachian Service Project where she helped to make house repairs for an impoverished family. In 2009 and 2011, she was in St. Louis in partnership with Neighborhood Houses to help with after-school tutoring, facility repairs and sorting items in thrift store locations, respectively. She also attended the trip in 2010 with Wynn.
Wynn said she volunteers on a regular basis throughout the year at local agencies in Muncie, and for her, it proves to consistently be her favorite part of the week.
"I can't think of a better way to spend my Spring Break," she said. "Spending an entire week doing pretty much nonstop community service is the best way for me to relax and recharge, I can't wait."
While the volunteers are down in Tuscaloosa, they will stay in housing provided by United Saints, which is the non-profit organization they are working with to provide assistance. They leave Saturday and will come back March 11. Monday through Friday of the trip, they will do volunteer work.
From year to year, the location of the Alternative Break varies, but sometimes they return to previous locations or organizations of past trips. While the disaster relief trips are Wynn's personal favorite, trips sometimes focus on other causes or social issues including education and poverty.
Terry said she is passionate about service and volunteering. For her, she said she enjoys seeing the difference and being a part of what she feels happening around her.
"That's a feeling that absolutely cannot be beat and is incomparable to anything else you could do with your week away from school," she said.
She said she also enjoys seeing the volunteers grow as people and learn from their experience.
"I love seeing the progression of individuals on these trips," she said. "Many people who go on these trips have never volunteered before. Most are nervous and don't know what to expect and are afraid to step out of their comfort zone. As the week progresses, they open up and reflect on what they're doing and gain so much confidence, clarity, compassion and awareness from these projects. Seeing this change and this awareness process happen is awesome enough, but being able to help facilitate it is incredible."
Terry also emphasized that volunteering not only helps others but also helps the volunteers grow as people.
"You learn humility, appreciation and perspective," she said. "You learn better communication, leadership skills and creative thinking skills. You gain compassion and empathy. Helping other people helps you become a better person in multiple ways."
Terry also said though a week may seem short, it still can be powerful.
"When a group of people come together with a common purpose and goal, it's unstoppable," she said. "I've met some of my closest friends on Alternative Breaks trips. Spending a week together on a serious project, and in such defined and focused spaces and activities, creates a strong bond that happens very quickly."
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