Most college students spend their spring breaks on the beach soaking up the rays to forget about the stresses of exams while listening to the latest Ariana Grande album, but not this girl. Not because I do not like the beach or Ari, but because back in the fall semester I spontaneously decided to sign up for something that would challenge me and provide an experience that can only be described as alternative.
Every spring break, groups of Winthrop University students spend their break volunteering through the Alternative Spring Break program. ASB is organized under the office of career and civic engagement on campus and aims to help students engage in other communities in meaningful service in hopes that it will educate, positively impact the community and build leadership skills.
This year’s trip took me, 12 other students and one faculty member to Washington, D.C. to focus on poverty and homelessness in the nation’s capital. Prior to leaving on March 10, the 14 of us had never all interacted together. There were informative meetings for logistical planning and scheduling, but with crazy schedules many people could not attend. Leaving on a six day trip with 13 almost-strangers made my shy stomach wish that I was on a beach listening to Ari instead of packing the Saturday night before leaving. Little did I know that the next six days would be more impactful, special and fun than I could ever imagine.
We hopped into two Dodge Grand Caravans at eight o’clock in the morning on Sunday, March 10 and headed to Luther Place Memorial Church, which we would call home for the next five nights. Located in Luther Place is The Steinbruck Center, which educates volunteers on poverty and homelessness in the N-Street village and surrounding communities through transformative education, experiential learning, community living and service opportunities. We stayed in the Center’s hostel on the fourth floor of the church along with three other visiting schools: Pratt, Stonebridge and Southern New Hampshire University.
The environment was inclusive and inviting with gender neutral bathrooms and rooms full of bunk beds. My fear of not bonding with any of my group members was easily erased at The Steinbruck Center because it would be really hard not to bond with the people I heard snoring or get locked out of the room in the middle of the night.
Our time serving the community started on March 11 at A Wider Circle in Silver Spring, Maryland. A Wider Circle provides furniture, children’s clothing, job training and support to families in poverty. They are able to furnish 20 homes a day, and our group was able to help in that special mission by making sure donated items were excellent quality and restocking the showrooms.
On March 12, we woke up bright and early in order to catch the bus to Thrive D.C. The program we volunteered at served breakfast and provided clean bathrooms to shower in for the homeless community of D.C. Thrive D.C.’s goal is to prevent and end the issue of homelessness by providing the necessary services and support to those in need. The experience at Thrive D.C. was humbling and special, being able to provide a need to others while also being able to share simple conversations that were special to both parties.
Our last service sites were located at two new Rocketship Academy schools, RISE and Legacy. Each week Martha’s Market provides free bags of fresh produce and non-perishable food items to students to promote healthy eating. Our group helped bag an assortment of fruits and vegetables for the kids to take home. A healthy banana and spinach smoothie was offered to the students, and fun music was played to make the environment exciting, so the kids were excited to eat right. Two friends were even able to join the kids dancing while they wore produce costumes.
Kimberly Cobb, a graduate student seeking her masters in education and fellow ASBer, saw this experience as humbling and motivating.
“I can see that there are ways for me to make direct impact and advocate for the change needed to lessen homelessness and help those in need,” Cobb said
While on Alternative Spring Break, not only do students gain service hours, but cultural event credit is given based on activities done on the free day. Washington, D.C. provided countless opportunities for us to get cultured on our free day. We circulated the city visiting museums, monuments, and the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. My favorite experience was being able to see the portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama in person. As an art major, I was living my best life in the National Portrait Gallery. Seeing the history and sights of D.C. was a nice cherry on top to the entire experience while on ASB.
At the beginning of my spring break, I was worried that going on ASB would be a mistake, but it turned out to the furthest thing from a mistake. I was able to directly impact a community in need and bring back valuable knowledge to implement in my own community back at Winthrop. I am now also able to call 13 strangers my friends and look forward to seeing them around campus. ASB you get a 10/10 Yelp review from me!
