SERVICE LEARNING

What’s New with Alternative Break?

The Alternative Break program exposes WOU students to hands-on, experiential community based learning. Students work in conjunction with volunteer and community agencies to focus on a wide variety of social issues both in and out of our community. This year we have 7 leaders who will be planning 5 different trips. Each of our trip’s service locations has been hand selected by the team leaders. This year, two of our trips will be during winter break, while the remaining three trips will happen during spring break.

This winter break, we will be returning to Seattle, Washington to serve with an organization called YouthCare. Last year another Alternative Break trip served this homelessness organization by cleaning their facilities, wrapping presents for youth, and helping around their location with various odd jobs. This year we will have the same opportunity to return to serve that population. Our second trip during winter will be to Sunshine Sanctuary in Los Molinos, California. This organization is a place where kids and horses can feel safe learning from each other while sharing love and compassion. We will likely experience this relationship by helping with daily ranch duties, cleaning, maintaining the property, and assisting with children’s projects. Our spring trips will consist of a build for Habitat for Humanity in Sacramento, California through Collegiate Challenge. We will be working on the construction of a home for one of the many homeless families across the country. Our second spring trip will be in serving the homeless population in Portland, Oregon, by working with Homeless Solutions and also, participating in a project with Habitat for Humanity. Our last spring trip will head to serve at Poverello Food Shelter and AniMeals in Missoula, Montana. Their goal is to serve at a local food bank and also attend, care for and play with homeless animals in the area and prepare them for adoption.

AlternativeBreak Leaders

While our Alternative Break trips are flourishing, we are also supporting two different servicelearning trips through our office. Our first service learning trip will be going to Vietnam during winter break to work with the Forgotten People Foundation in Hanoi, Vietnam. This group of students is being lead by faculty members Mark Girod and Hank Bersani. Our second service learning trip will be a group of 8 participants that will be going to Tanzania to work with Orphan Foundation Fund during Summer 2011. They will be meeting a group of students from Ludwigsburg University of Education to participate in this experience. The focus of this trip will be on a wide variety of social issues, along with being immersed in a diverse environment.

Meet Marcella!

Marcella Flores is from Edmonds, Washington. She is currently a senior in the ASL/ English Interpreting Program with a minor in ASL Studies. She has worked in SLCD since she was a freshman and this year has started her position as Alternative Break Coordinator. Marcella has a heart for service and was a participant on the 2009 San Diego Alternative Break Trip and co-led the 2010 San Francisco Alternative Break group, both of which served youth homeless populations in California. Marcella loves being involved on campus especially in her roles as PLUS Team Coordinator, traveling to China with the International Ambassadors and Mentors program and of course, Alternative Break! Marcella hopes to attend graduate school for a Masters in Higher Education and Student Affairs. Her dream job is to become a Director for Student Leadership, Activities and Service.

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth” – Muhammad Ali