Boston University students not interested in the sun and beaches offered by popular spring break destinations sought self-satisfaction in a different way, by volunteering their week off to service projects across the nation as part of Alternative Spring Break.
Since ASB’s inaugural year in 1988, the program has expanded, sending more than 300 students to 35 destinations ranging from San Juan to Philadelphia this year.
The program allows students to work to alleviate social issues such as affordable housing, human rights and animal rescue.
Each ASB group posted on a blog and volunteers were encouraged to talk about their experiences on Twitter.
College of Communication sophomore Hannah Freedman, whose group traveled to Stone Mountain, Ga., said her group worked with the Friends of Disabled Adults and Children Organization.
“My ASB group was able to help them out by painting a mural in the room where children most often receive their medical equipment, like wheelchairs,” Freedman said.
“Everyone in my group felt like we were really able to connect with the people from the organization we were volunteering with,” she said.
College of Fine Arts senior Andrea Bartunek who served as a co-coordinator for her environmental trip to Flagstaff, Ariz., described her trip as “nothing short of amazing.”
“Work included fixing a fence for the Pronghorn deer in the area and removing invasive plant species,” Bartunek said. “We also did a lot of hiking and got to see the Grand Canyon.”
This year was the first that an ASB group travelled to Flagstaff to volunteer.
“As a coordinator, the only real challenge I faced was not knowing exactly what to expect for the trip since it was new and we didn’t have advice from past coordinators,” Bartunek said. “The volunteer work that we planned to do kept changing so we weren’t sure what category to put it under at first but now we know that it is definitely an environment trip.”
Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences sophomore Molly Binger co-coordinated an environmental trip to Cumberland Island, Ga., said her experience was “beyond words.”
Her group’s work involved removing fallen trees and cutting brush and palmettos from the paths of the island for the National Park Service.
“We made best friends with another alternative break group of nine students from [the University of New Hampshire,] making us one big group of 24,” she said. “We hiked to the beach every day and also sang songs and played games around the campfire each night.”
Binger said her group saw many different animals including a dead beached whale. On one hiking occasion, they witnessed the birth of a horse.
“Our trip was more than amazing. The sand was so fine, the forests so thick, the water so salty, the ruins so beautiful, the animals so beautiful, and the people so perfect,” she said.
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