Students exploring alternative spring break opportunities

Instead of going to the beach and soaking up some sun over spring break some GCSU students are giving their time to help others through alternative spring break opportunities.
The GIVE Center is sponsoring a trip to Savannah in partnership with a group their called Hands on Savannah. Belinda Dennis, a senior English major, is one of the organizers of the trip. She is a servant leader for The GIVE Center. Dennis hopes that the volunteers will get to take part in a different service project every day.
“I know the first thing we are going to do when we get there is bag lunches for senior citizens,” Dennis said.
She also hopes to do a beach cleanup so the title of the trip – Service by the Sea – can be fully realized. Dennis also hopes to work with children while the group is down there.
The group will stay around Tybee Island from March 19-26 and commute each day to different towns around the island.
Dennis hopes to keep continuing the alternative spring break tradition for The GIVE Center.
“I hope next year to train someone to keep having an alternative spring break. I also hope it becomes a collaborative effort for other organizations at the school,” Dennis said.
Another alternative spring break option is with the honors program. Dr. Steve Elliott-Gower, the head of the honors program, is getting together a trip to Jubilee Partners in Comer.
“I had heard about the organization, but had never visited there. It took on a mythical proportion in my mind, these people out there in the middle of Georgia working with refugees from all over the world,” Elliott-Gower said.
He visited the organization back in the fall and discovered that it was a place filled with dedicated volunteers.
“The students will help with the refugees. They will be assisting the full-time volunteers and teaching English to the adults and children there,” Elliott-Gower said.
The endeavor will be nearly a week long and will involve many tasks outside, including tending to a garden that the organization grows its own food in.
Freshman honors student Amelia Zuver, a chemistry major, said she has heard of the organization before.
“I have been looking for the opportunity to volunteer there. Usually their volunteer sessions are for months at a time, so this small dose of Jubilee will be less of a time commitment,” Zuver said.
Both Zuver and fellow freshman Alyssa Giglia, an accounting major, said they are excited about bonding with other GCSU students as well as meeting people from around the world.
“I wanted to do something for a new experience and to help refugees who are getting acclimated to the country,” Giglia said.

Posted by Danielle Paluga on Feb 5 2010. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry