Northwest program allows students to volunteer over Spring Break

Students volunteering in New Orleans. Photo courtesy Northwest

MARYVILLE, Mo. –Students got a chance to impact the lives of New Orleans and Puerto Rico residents through Northwest Missouri State University’s Alternative Spring Break last month.

The university said 20 students volunteered in the program during the week of March 23-27.

ASB annually gives Northwest students the opportunity to participate in a week of service-learning and volunteering within a different environment. The school said the mission of the organization is to progressively improve the experience of true service-learning for Northwest students and successfully incorporate classroom learning in real-world situations.

This year, students traveled to New Orleans to work with the United Saints Recovery Project. The project involved demolishing a fire-damaged house, painting the exterior of a house, working at a community garden and rehabilitating a railing at the volunteer facility where the students stayed.

Students volunteering in Puerto Rico. Photo courtesy Northwest

Students who traveled to Puerto Rico worked at the Boys and Girls Club, picked up trash on the beach and worked at Cabezas de San Juan Environmental preserve.

“I am glad that Northwest’s Alternative Spring Break group and I were able to help and make a difference in New Orleans,” ASB President Danielle Hogan, a senior elementary education major from Richmond, Mo., said. “It was really devastating to see parts of the city that are still in despair from Hurricane Katrina. Going to a place like New Orleans helped me remember how blessed I am, and that makes me want to give back and help others more.”

Bobbie Patten, a senior psychology and sociology major from Orient, Iowa, said interacting with children at the Boys and Girls Club of Puerto Rico was a highlight for her.

“Even though there was a language barrier, we were still able to communicate and interact with the children in other ways,” Patten said. “Because of this trip, I have even more respect for our beautiful environment and for protecting it. I will be able to take this experience into my future career by being able to better communicate and relate with people from other cultures.”
ASB chose Puerto Rico and New Orleans as this year’s destinations because of the immense need for service in those areas.