Sitting on a beach during spring break is easier than helping build a home or assisting with hurricane relief, but many University students chose the latter anyway, saying it provided them with a deeper sense of purpose.
Though senior David Desruisseau traveled to a traditional spring break spot — Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — his experience was far from typical. He was part of a group from the WUSTL chapter of Habitat for Humanity working with an area Habitat affiliate.
“From Tuesday to Friday, the group joined other universities from around the country to help construct homes in a low-income area in the northwest part of the city,” said Desruisseau, a biology major in Arts & Sciences. “Students were involved in roofing, framing, shingling and painting, among other projects. It was an amazing experience.”
Desruisseau is one of hundreds of students who used the March 12-18 spring break to lend a hand on numerous community service trips organized by the Campus Y and other student organizations.
Hurricane relief was a popular choice. Junior Scott Helvick and 40 other students from Overflow-the-Campus Crusade for Christ traveled to New Orleans to help rebuild homes and churches March 10-17.
“The most important thing for students to realize is that New Orleans has not changed in the last year as much as we’d like to believe,” said Helvick, a computer engineering major in the School of Engineering & Applied Science. “Many of the homes still look the same or worse than they did during the weeks following Hurricane Katrina, yet humanitarian aid has dropped off dramatically. The residents still desperately need help and are still incredibly grateful for it.”
Other students traveled internationally. Sophomore Rachel Amthor went to Central America on a trip organized by the Campus Y.
“We traveled to Belize March 12 to 17 to explore how eco-tourism can work in a Caribbean country where thousands of tourists journey every year,” said Amthor, an anthropology major in Arts & Sciences. “We visited small villages that were directly affected by the establishment of wildlife sanctuaries in the country, as well as communities of individuals who founded their own sanctuaries to protect threatened species.”
Learning about the impact of human development on threatened manatees, howler monkeys and various species of birds was central to the group’s trip.
But it was the human interaction that made the trip special.
“The most important and rewarding parts were the afternoons and evenings we spent reading, doing homework and playing games with the children who voluntarily ride the city bus to the YMCA in Belize City each day to receive after-school mentoring and tutoring,” Amthor said.
Among the other service trips:
• A Campus Y group visited Los Angeles to aid in Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation efforts.
• Members of Engineers Without Borders performed engineering assessments of project sites in Antigua, Guatemala.
• The Lutheran Campus Ministry helped with post-Katrina rebuilding in Mobile, Ala.
• The Annika Rodriguez Scholars Program demystified the college admissions process for underserved minority students in Milwaukee.
• St. Louis Hillel assisted with hurricane relief in New Orleans.
• The Catholic Student Center did home repairs in Juarez, Mexico.
“Faces of Hope,” a presentation of photographs, stories and memories from spring break service trips, will take place from 4:30-6 p.m. April 5 in the Ann W. Olin Women’s Building Formal Lounge. The University community is invited to attend. For more information, call 935-9659.