Alternative Spring Break

I could not wait for spring break for I was going to Washington, DC. I had applied for the Alternative Spring Break (ASB) which is an option offered here at Hofstra University during spring break.  This was going to be a week’s long volunteering program with the YSOP (Youth Service Opportunities Project). The YSOP is an organization that provides high quality volunteer service-learning experiences in metropolitan areas specifically New York City and Washington, DC. I was even excited more when I learned that one of my mentees from the Global Mentor Program, Jingru Cheng A.K.A Aurora, was also going to DC for the program. This was definitely going to be a bonding experience.

We left for DC on Sunday and did our orientation on Monday morning at around 8:00 a.m. We were informed of our schedules and what was expected of us. Basically, every day we would go to a different service site from about 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. then have a reflection session at about 2:00 p.m.

The first place we visited was ‘IONA’. This is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support people as they experience the challenges and opportunities of aging. We helped set up tables for the participants’ lunch, their exercise area and prepared lunch for them. We interacted with the staff there and the participants as well, which was very interesting. We then had our reflection session in the afternoon about our experience earlier in the day.

On the second day we went to ‘A Wider Circle’ which is an organization whose mission is to end poverty for individuals and families. They do so by providing basic needs, education and long-term support. They have different programs, and on that day we helped with the ‘Neighbor to Neighbor’ program. This program provides furniture, mattresses, kitchen ware, professional clothing and linens. We sorted out the clothes and linens and put them in the right places. We cleaned the kitchen ware and made everything look presentable. We also helped some clients look for whatever they needed.

The third place we visited was ‘The Capital Area Food Bank’. It is an organization that helps solve hunger and problems such as heart disease, undernutrition and obesity, by delivering healthy food to areas that are hard to reach. On that day, we helped sort meat and put them in separate boxes. We did this in a huge warehouse that was freezing and we had to bundle up for this activity. We then went to a different room where we sorted apples and discarded the bad ones.

Later in the day, we did the most exciting thing during that week. We prepared food at the church and we were going to let in 40 homeless people to share the meal with us. We took their orders, served them and got to interact as we ate. This night changed my way of thinking about homeless people. There are very many stereotypes in regard to the homeless. I realized how similar our lives were because we had numerous stories that we shared and we could relate with one another. Some had really amazing talents. It is just that circumstances force them to be on the streets. A number of them had jobs but they did not earn enough income to enable them afford housing which is quite expensive. Some stayed on the streets as a result of domestic violence and some were just born poor and had no way of making their lives better. It was an eye-opening experience for me. As a matter of fact, the next day, I met one of the ladies I had served dinner and we had a good conversation. I doubt I would have stopped, were it not for the previous night when we got to interact.

On Thursday, the last day of service, we went to Seabury Resources for Aging. It is a non-profit organization that provides free and affordable support in multiple ways for older adults and their families. Some of the services offered include home delivered meals, alternative transportation to medical appointments and home maintenance and clean-up projects. On this day, we went to a senior lady’s house and cleaned it up for her. She gave specific instructions on how she wanted the job done and it was satisfying to see her smile after the cleaning was well-done. We then had our last reflective session where we all shared our thoughts and experiences.

Although most of the time we were at the service sites, we did not fail to fit in some time for fun and exploring the capital. We visited nearly all of the attraction sites in Washington DC and learned most of its history.

I learned a lot during my spring break and I was happy that in my small way, I was helping somebody somewhere. I am glad I got to make new friends and further bond with Aurora, my mentee from China. We had lots of fun and I got to know her even better.

Guest Blogger: Rose Mina, Sophomore, Finance, Global Mentor and international student from Kenya

Alternative Spring Break National Program Day 3!

Today was probably the most rewarding day we’ve had thus far.  It was also the saddest day, because it was our last day of service, and the unforgettable experiences we’ve had, have left us wanting more. In gorgeous weather, the members of our ASB team began by splitting into two separate groups. The first group was sent to clear out neglected items of our previous site’s former occupants (while dirty, was a positive experience!) so that the remaining students could move on to the larger task of demolishing the third and final site. The first group joined them a few hours later.

   Along with our neighbors for the week, students from the University of Delaware, we tore down an already-standing house in less than 6 hours! In amazement at witnessing the bulldozer collapse the structure, we gathered our tools and got to work. No one person was in charge as we were all novices in the practice of deconstruction.  However, as a team, we knocked down drywall until there was nothing remaining but the frame.  By the end of the day, the work site was completely cleared!

Below is a picture timeline of all that we accomplished today!

At the beginning of the day, a full house was standing

A few hours later we had removed all the drywall and siding

 

The bulldozer knocked over the house so we could carry the frame and roofing to the dumpster

By 3 pm, the entire house was gone!

Special moments of the day included lessons in “humility and flexibility.” Amanda, a local camp counselor whose program was destroyed by Hurricane Irene, helped us place a face with the situation. She explained to us the sites we are working on are in a depressed section of town, and that we were not only tearing down condemned structures, but rebuilding the community. Her gratitude for all we have been doing was humbling.

We started by tearing down all the drywall

After the house was down, we carried the debris to the dumpster

The fulfilling aspect of our service is not just in changing a situation, but in inspiring those affected by it. During Amanda’s speech, she thanked us for our loud cheers, which she could hear from her porch (unbeknownst to us) and claimed lifted the hearts of her neighbors. See the link below!

After three full days of challenges, we could not have asked for a better trip. Not only have we seen a change in Bayboro, North Carolina, but we’ve seen a change in ourselves through teamwork and bonding. Between helping others as well as one another, we have a full concept of why we choose to do service work. Coming together for a common good and realizing that the smallest thing can brighten someone’s day is a true gift. 

Above is a photo from our semi-professional on-site photo shoot with our ASB Men!

Blog written by:  Jeanine Russaw, Class of 2015 and Julia McGuire, Class of 2016

Alternative Spring Break National Program Day 2!

As we began our second day in North Carolina, the sun was finally shining and we were ready to go!  While we did not get rained on today, the day certainly presented challenges of its own.  The Hofstra Alternative Spring Break crew continued to clear the last few bits of debris from our work site from the previous day, and it was especially rewarding how we worked together to reach the end result.  Once our work site had cleared, we began to assist our neighboring school group from the University of Delaware.  At their site, we were again faced with the daunting task of removing more personal items of the home’s former occupants which were damaged in the flood. Every item was a reminder of the importance of what we are doing and made us even more motivated to continue our work. 

One of the highlights of our day was helping to remove the concrete foundation of the old house to prepare for the building of a new home in the future. We found that some of our teammates have a real passion for concrete foundation removal and it was a lot of fun mixed in with a lot of hard work. Some even willingly gave up their lunch time to continue working.

We have to break up the foundation.

And then we can remove it!

 Perhaps the most important lesson learned this afternoon was “patience.” What we are realizing is that the goal of our work here is to bring about positive change in the Bayboro community that can be seen in the future—not for immediate gratification. The point of community service is not to get praised or complimented by the progress that your work has brought, but for a person to feel secure in the fact that they did a good thing for the sake of others.   

It's all about patience and teamwork!

 In the evening after reflection, we enjoyed the night with the world’s biggest Apples to Apples game (ok, maybe that is an exaggeration, but it was pretty big!). It was nice to relax and just laugh while we were all starting to feel the soreness come on from the day’s work. We are looking forward to what we will be doing next. Stay tuned tomorrow to find out!

We may be dirty, but all the debris is finally gone!

Blog written by:  Megan Kennedy, Class of 2014; Melaine Morgan, Class of 2014; and Jeanine Russaw, Class of 2015

Alternative Spring Break National Program Day 1!

The whole group is ready to work!

                Today marked the first full day of service for the Alternative Spring Break National Program where thirty Hofstra University students and two staff members are working with the National Relief Network in Bayboro, North Carolina. We arrived on site bright and early this morning to a pile of wood, shingles, doors, and pipes. A home that had been condemned due to water damage from last year’s Hurricane Irene was demolished and gutted out. While it was not highlighted in the news, the Outer Banks coast of North Carolina suffered greatly after Hurricane Irene came through. All day we broke up all the debris, mostly wood, and transported it all into dump trucks to be carried away from the site. 

The site before we started working

                It was a lot of hard work, but everyone was challenging and pushing themselves to try something new and not be afraid to get dirty! The Mayor of Bayboro even stopped by to thank us all for the work we have been doing and to say how much the community appreciates our help. After lunch, we had another popular visitor stop by, a golden shepherd that some of us have named Fred. Later on in the day dark gray clouds moved in, but we did not let the rain bring us down. We kept on working just as hard through the weather and the rubble turning the mountain of debris into a pile of mere shingles by the end of the day. Some may have looked at this pile as merely a pile of garbage, but we were aware that this used to be someone’s home. Occasionally we would find lost artifacts (a small child’s boot, a vintage dial-tone telephone) and we would set them aside as we continued to work, respecting the family who left them behind. They also helped to remind us all that the work we were doing was important. 

Everyone is working hard!

                In the evening we reflected upon the obstacles we experienced throughout the day, both literal and metaphorical. We not only braved through the rubble, but we developed trust in our fellow trip-goers. We worked together as a team, most notably when we formed an assembly line to carry all the water damaged debris to the dumpsters.  Moving forward we hope to keep our morale high throughout the week and look forward to learning new skills and making lasting friendships that last a lifetime.

 

At the end of the day, our pile was almost gone!

Blog written by:  Victoria Bohme, Class of 2014 and Claudia Balthazar, Class of 2014

Alternative Spring Break- Day 3

Day 3:

Of all the places we could eat at while here in El Paso we had to make sure to have authentic Mexican food! Tonight we ate at Kiki’s Mexican Restaurant and it was by far the best Mexican food any of us has ever eaten. The tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, beans, rice, quesadillas, carne asada, nachos, and guacamole were all exactly what we needed after the most intense day of work thus far. No one left that restaurant hungry! The food in El Paso just keeps getting better and better.

So what did we do today? We worked from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm with only a half hour break for lunch because we are all on a mission to complete our home by the end of our week here in El Paso. Today we painted the second coat on the entire inside of the home as well as finished all of the ceiling sheet rock. Outside we scraped off all the chipping paint, replaced damaged moldings, caulked any cracks, and painted over half of the home. It proved to be the hardest day yet, but also the most inspiring because we also met the family we have been volunteering our time to build a home for. In order to be selected to have a home built by Habitat, the family must agree to volunteer upwards to 200 – 250 hours to help build their home. For a few hours we worked side by side with the mother and her three girls

to help give this family a better life. Seeing the smiles on their faces was all we needed to continue working as hard as we could. By the end of the day we were exhausted, but not one person would say they minded.

During reflection that evening we were discussing what we were going to do on our day off on Thursday, but everyone knew what we had to do. We couldn’t take a break now, we had to keep going! So tomorrow instead of further exploring El Paso, we are going back to the home and continuing to work to give this family something every single person deserves; a decent home to live in.

- Ashley Gray, Assistant Director of Student Leadership and Activities

Staycation: Alternative Spring Break 2012, Long Island

Getting ready to start our day inside the Habitat House!

Brittany, Kimberly and Lauren learning from Tom

Day one of Staycation Alternative Spring Break was a hit! It was freezing and rainy but, we helped build a house...what could be better than that! At 8:15am when we gathered to leave campus it was drizzling rain and 50 degrees but, we got moving early and kept it going straight through until 3pm. We learned a lot about each other before we even got to the site (e.g. Brittany is a cat whisperer and we had three students who were born outside of the United States and several who could speak more than one language!) The student participants were from various parts of the globe and the country and spent a lot of the day while working getting to know each other!
We got a small break to gather at 12pm and talk with other Habitat "regulars" about their experience and eat lunch (provided by the Girl Scouts), and finally the sun started to peek out. Out of the twelve students attending and two advisers only one adviser, Pat "Boom" Montagano, had experience volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. So, this was a learning experience for all. Students were able to use tools they've never used, set up scaffolding, hammer siding on to a wall and work together as a team with students they've just met for the first time to accomplish a lot on this awesome three bedroom home in New Cassel. 

While we were there a news crew came to do a story on the great work that the weekly volunteers and staff do at Habitat to build houses such as this. It was great to see the coverage of such an important contribution these men and women (and other groups like ours) make in our community!
It was a powerful experience because while we were there we learned about the family the house was being built for, ourselves, the team work that could be accomplished not only working with each other but, following directions and working with the volunteers who serve weekly at the house. This is the first day of a three day Staycation Alternative Spring Break. We loved working in the Long Island community and are looking forward to working at the INN tomorrow and the Animal Shelter on Friday. Read more this week from our student participants about their experience!

Enjoying the moment of sun and our day of building at Habitat Nassau County!

Alternative Spring Break- Day 2

Day 1: Continued

So the census is in and everyone is a fan of Texas BBQ! We ordered ribs, chicken, brisket... we got it all 

and none of it disappointed! After dinner we had our first reflection session of the trip and it was great to open up and listen to the viewpoints of others. It is amazing how a group of 14 can all have the same experience but gain different insights and I love that we have the opportunity at the end of each day to share those insights with the group.

Day 2:

We went back to the home we were working on the first day and continued to finish the landscaping and the painting. We also worked on putting the doors back on the hinges and putting up ceiling sheet rock. The second day proved to be harder than the first, since we were already sore from the first day, but I am proud to say we have an incredible team and we never stop working. We are all dedicated to giving this family a home they can be proud of. One of the neighbors today stopped by to see what we were up to. When we explained what we were doing and that we were working with Habitat for Humanity they complimented us on our work ethic and even told us that now they felt embarrassed by their own yards! It was nice to know that the community is appreciative of the work we are doing. By the end of the day we had the entire inside of the house painted (thanks to our fantastic all-female paint crew) and the landscaping complete! Tomorrow we are going to be working on painting the outside of the house. While it is going to be hot, everyone is also excited about working on their tan.

After the day’s work we came back, cleaned up and made dinner for ourselves. What was on the menu you ask? Tacos, quesadillas, and hotdogs! It was great to cook and eat together as a team. After dinner, we made our way up the perfectly named Scenic Drive to the very top of one of the mountains here in El Paso. Up there we could see for miles and miles all of El Paso and even over into Mexico. It was breath taking to say the least and we all just stood there and gazed in awe at the sea of lights below us. Most of us thought El Paso was going to be a small city in the dessert with not a whole lot to offer, but we are quickly learning how wrong we were. It is much larger than we anticipated and being on top of that mountain tonight only further proved our initials thoughts ignorant. We held our reflection session on the mountain and then went back home to rest before we have to get up early again to do more work! Tomorrow we are going out for authentic Mexican food! We are all anticipating great tacos and enchiladas!

- Ashley Gray, Assistant Director of Student Leadership and Activities