Fall Break Location Announcement!!!

This fall break, in conjuction with 9/11 Remembrance, we will be taking our talents to New York City and Washington D.C.  We will be working with the Youth Service Opportunities Project in both locations.  They have an office in each city so both trips will be doing the same service.

Monday night- Students will prepare dinner for local homeless individuals and then sit down and eat with them.  You will have an opportunity to hear about their experiences.  A speaker will come in to speak with everyone.

Tuesday- You will go into the community and potentially work at a food kitchen or some other location to combat homelessness and hunger. Return to SRU around 9:30pm.

The 9/11 component will be presenting a signed flag to government officials. We are unsure as to who this may be at each location; but we are working to have a concrete answer.

Date: October 9th-October 11th
Cost: $125 (You will have the opportunity to fundraise)
Requirements: Must do one canning at least once
Sign-Ups: August 29th, First day of class!
Lead Applications: Available August 29th, Due September 1st
Spots Available: 18 per trip (36 total)

Come to the CSIL office and sign-up for this potentially life changing experience!

Big Apple, Meet SRU! (Summer Care Break 2011)

The week after classes let out for the summer, a group of students decided to do community service rather than head home.  A group of ten headed to New York City to work with the Junior Achievement Program of New York.  The story was told in Slippery Rock University's monthly newsletter. Follow the link below to read all about the adventure.

http://rockpride.sru.edu/2011/RP061011/CareBreakNewYorkCity.php

Firsthand Account - Kelley Lewis (Hands On Mississippi 2011)

Kelley Lewis is a senior, public relations major who attended one of the two CareBreaks that traveled to Mississippi.  She is part of Delta Zeta here at Slippery Rock University.  Her group worked in a nature environment doing a variety of activities. You can read about some of these activities in her account of her trip below. Enjoy!

When one thinks of spring break they think of partying, sleeping, getting tan, and having the ultimate time. When I think of spring break 2011 service, friends, mud, and tornados come to mind. I went to Ocean Springs, Mississippi to help with the Hands On program.  Although the weather wasn’t the greatest of conditions when we were there, it was still an experience I would have not traded for anything.

The work we did was more so for nature, but really fun. We took a boat out to the middle of the Gulf of Mexico to an island where birds were nesting. In order to keep the birds there and not be disturbed by people, we posted signs and helped clean up. It was great working in the sand.  Another day we got to clear trails for a park. I never thought walking through knee high mud and venturing in the woods could be fun, but somehow that’s what we made it.

The best part about Care Break trips is making memories with old friends and meeting new ones while giving back to people who truly appreciate what you do.

                                                                                                   -Kelley Lewis

*Be on the lookout for upcoming CareBreak announcements, including trip location!*

Firsthand Account - Chelsea Benzie (New Mexico 2011)

One of the most sought after trips the Alternative Spring Break program offers tends to be the Mescalero Apache Reservation trip in New Mexico.  I asked one of the students who participated in that trip this past spring to give us a firsthand account of her experiences. Chelsea Benzie will be a junior this coming school year. She is a Pre-Engineering major in the 3+2 program.  After this year she will head to Penn State Main for the remainder of her degree. Read her experience below.

"I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first signed up for a Care Break to go to Mescalero, New Mexico. My expectations were that I was going to hopefully meet a few new people and help out a place that was in need. My expectations were far exceeded when I first stepped onto the grounds of the Mescalero Apache Indian Fish Hatchery. This service trip was so much more than I had ever hoped for; I became friends with so many new people, experienced a culture totally different than my own, and had a blast doing service. For our service we had a chance to help feed and transfer fish at their fish hatchery. We also did a lot of physical labor by building a rock wall to keep the fish hatchery safe to prevent floods wiping out the fish hatchery like it has in many past years. We got the opportunity to learn a lot about the Native American culture through hearing their stories and even hearing tribal songs. The New Mexico trip has been one of the best experiences of my life and it has definitely made me want to participate in another Care Break trip."  -Chelsea Benzie

Check back at a later date for more updates and accounts!

Firsthand Account - Chloe Finigan (South Carolina 2011)

Chloe Finigan was a freshman student when she decided that she would attend a CareBreak.  She went to South Carolina to work with Homes for Hope.  This is an organization that takes homes that may have been abandoned or donated and fixes them up in order to once again be habitable.  She reflected on her experience in our school newspaper, The Rocket. Please read her first-hand account below:



Media Credit to Chloe Finigan from The Rocket

Friday night I sat in my room, looking at my duffle bag a few feet in front of me on the floor. For a moment, I began to doubt if I was doing the right thing. Should I've just gone home? Maybe save me some cash. Find a job. But something in my head was pushing me to do this. It was pushing for a new experience. I needed a change and this was going to be it...

To continue reading please follow the link below to the newspaper online.

http://media.www.theonlinerocket.com/media/storage/paper601/news/2011/03/18/Focus/Care-Break.Provides.New.Experiences.In.New.Places.For.Students-3986170.shtml