James Madison University - Bluestone Schoolmaam Yearbook (Harrisonburg, VA)

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FFEir A lining up at ) p.m. witli pillows and sleeping bags, prepared for a long 24-hour sleepover in Wilson Hall. Entertained by a cappella groups, Madison Dance and the breakdance club, the time flew by for some students. Sophomore Rebecca Bourne, a St. Louis, Missouri trip participant, said, Sure the 24-hour campout wiis long, but it was so much fun. Once 5 p.m. rolled around, students chose their trips on a first-come, first-serve basis. Openings for trips filled up fast, especially those travel- ing to popular destinations. Alter the groups were chosen, some teams met a few times before their trip to get to know each other, go over details and become acquainted with the type of work they would be doing. Despite traveling great distances, trips were reasonably affordable and many groups organized fundraisers to offset costs. While international trips were more costly, the price of a domestic trip was only $225, which included transportation, lodging and food. Finally March arrived. Groups loaded their 15-passenger vans lull with luggage or departed for the airport and set out to make a difference. Sophomore Sydnee Lifshin, a participant on the St. Louis trip, said, I loved how I was giving back to the community, while meeting new people and being in a different region with exciting activities to do. It was a vacation, but with a purpose... it was a really awesome experience. Alter they arrived at their destination, each group was on their own under the direction of their student leaders. The living conditions for the week were primitive for most. Participants on the Okefenokee Nationd Wildlife Refuge Trip, who camped in platform tents, were blessed with a stunning view of the Georgian backcountry. Many groups slept in tents, not able to shower all week, w hile others spent sleepless nights on the floors of YMCAs or churches, having to walk to take their showers. On a tight budget, groups cooked their own meals and many split into pairs so that they could take turns making the meal for the entire group each night. Participants were aware of these circumstances before committing to the trip, but 3 uj ALLOWING CHILDREN iO play with their hair, two students take time to relax. In Atlanta, participants worked at Nicholas House homeless shelter, • Photo by Casey Templeton. MAINTAINING TRAILS AT the Gesundheif! Institute, students carry a log. Participants traveled to Hillsboro, W Va. and worked to maintain the facility, • Photo cour- tesy of ASB FEEDING A BABY, a student spends her spring break in St, Louis, Members of the Missouri trip worked at Faith House to prepare children physically and emotionally for life. • Photo courtesy of ASB. WORKING ON A log, students on the Hillsboro, W.Va. trip help keep up the GesundheitI Institute. While there, participants lived in communal housing. Photo courtesy of ASB

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DAREtoMAKEa DIFFERENCE Traveling great distances, over 300 students opt for an alternative spring break. ■■■ hink back to your spring break. Did you spend it relaxing on white sandy I beaches, sipping on cocktails and hitting up the night scene? Or were you I one of 308 participants who spent seven days sleeping on a cement floor in ' a sleeping bag, perhaps driving 14 hours in a 15 -passenger van, eating PB J sandwiches, yet at the same time, having the best experience of your life? Alternative Spring Break (ASB) trips were coordinated by the Commu- nity Service-Learning (CS-L) office, under the direction of graduates Ingrid Abrahamson and Dana Seltzer and with the faculty guidance of Lorelei Esbenshade. Twenty-six different groups set off for destinations all over the country and to other nations. Domestic trips were as close as West Virginia and as far away as the Redwood Forest in California. International trips went to Jamaica, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and Domi- nica located in the West Indies. There were additional spring break trips that were affiliated with CS-L and were sponsored by organizations such is UREC and Catholic, Lutheran and Episcopal Campus Ministries. Esbenshade said, Students went out generously giving and [got] back much more than {they] expeaed. Two informational meetings were held in October, one for potential domestic participants and another for international travel. At these general interest meetings, coordinators gave an overview of their programs and student volunteer team leaders described what each of their trips entailed. On a rainy and cold November day prior to signups, students started g kinrrJcrinKi irn By MejiahnK Godfrey . Angeia. Norwins Z z o 23

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atlanta they did not seem to mind, as it was all part of the experience. One group worked in HUlsboro, West Virginia at the Ge- sundheit! Institute, made famous by the movie Patch Adams, where they helped with facility upkeep and maintenance. Following her time at Gesundheit!, senior Kristin Von Kundra said, There is a purposeful focus on the individual, giving them the space and time to explore new ideas and reflect on themselves. Every volunteer, thousands over the decade, who passes through Gesundheit! not only helps maintain the land there, but returns to their lives feeling refreshed and energized, with new ideas about health, society and the rest. ' Trips to Atlanta and Kansas City worked with the homeless, while trips to Boca Grande, Florida and the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia focused on the environment. ASB trips offered a unique way to spend spring break, al- lowing students a chance to give back to their country and the world. Stepping outside their comfort zone and gaining a new perspeaive on life, participants spent a week with 1 1 other students, two student leaders and a faculty-learning partner. Over 26 groups ventured to different cities in the Western Hemisphere, with trips focusing on children and women, health issues, homelessness and even the environment and recreation. Senior Leah Goodman led a trip to Kansas City, Missouri, where she and other participants performed maintenance work at a transitional-living shelter for battered women and their children. Spending her week painting and performing spring- cleaning activities, Goodman said, It was such a life-changing experience. Nightly, participants also entertained the children, read to them and played. Senior Sean Lambert also went to Missouri and said, It was so amazing to see how bright these children were, many of them overcoming such huge odds already, and it was even more amazing to see that they were going to make it. Volunteers were essential to keep the shelter functioning day-to-day and help mothers and their children recover their lives. Lambert said. At one point another guy on the trip held an infant for the first time. The mother began to wms ji ' L .z ' ' Tiy ' ' ' m- . 4 mm -. ' , H . B i HPK. ' - ..-- :- ;.-:Mi Jj w ■ A at ' ' ' - 0is k mn , PLAYING WITH A baby, an ASB participant works at Faith House in St. Louis. The students spent time with children exposed to substance abuse. Photo courtesy of ASB. FOCUSING ON HOMELESSNESS and mental illness, an ASB student is embraced by several children. On the Kansas City trip, participants worked with homeless women and their children. • Photo courtesy of ASB. READING OUTDOORS TO children, on Atlanta, Go. trip member spends quality time with local youth. Students worked ot a homeless shelter and an after-school program. Photo by Casey Templeton. Z Z o 25