While tropical beaches beckon many Hamilton College students during the March 13-27 Spring Break, 57 others are packing up their work clothes and taking road trips to southern states where they will work on Alternative Spring Break projects in communities.
Alternative Spring Break (ASB) offers trips geared to community service. This year there are six trips to six southern states.
Hamilton's ASB program was initially sponsored by the Hamilton Action Volunteer Outreach Coalition (HAVOC), a student-run organization that provides community service in Oneida County. The Alternative Spring Break program was started in 1993 when 20 students traveled to Miami to work on Hurricane Andrew relief with Habitat for Humanity. The following year the number of students doubled; the number of participants has steadily increased and now ASB offers six trips per year. ASB has now evolved into its own student organization with an executive board, that runs the program with Hamilton's chaplaincy.
Participants in the ASB trips hold a number of fundraisers throughout the academic year to earn money for their expenses, which include van rentals, accommodations, meals and, in some cases, site fees. This year's trips include:
An environmental trip to Thomasville, Ga., to dig trenches to use for controlled forest fires; this process prevents natural forest fires and helps the local environment and ecosystem.
The Appalachian South Folklife Center in Pipestem, W.V. The center organizes volunteer activities to help local families. ASB participants will help with any construction or renovation projects that need to be done in nearby homes or businesses. The center also provides cultural activities including tutorials on the local history, which was heavily influenced by the coal mining industry, as well as discussions and performances of bluegrass music.
Habitat for Humanity in Winston-Salem, N.C. Students will stay at the Forsyth county Habitat headquarters and will help build a house. Guided by professional construction workers, participants will work on the house during the week of March 13 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Girls Home Inc. in Rockhill, S.C. Girls Home is private, non-profit organization that provides residential treatment for emotionally disturbed adolescent girls. Participants in this trip will help set up a new library at the center; they will also help tutor and mentor the girls staying at the center.
The Cumberland Trail in Soddy Daisy, Tenn. Soddy Daisy is located about 25 miles from Chattanooga. Students on this trip will be helping with local environmental work via the Cumberland Trail/Tennessee Trail Organization, including clearing a nearby forest and helping to build a new hiking trail. The project began in 1998, and the trail will be more than 300 miles long when completed.
A community outreach project in Rural Retreat, Va., which is located in the mountains of the western corner of the state. Participants will be staying in a local community center, and will tutor students and help with projects in the community.
