Alternative Breaks registration to open Monday
Alternative Breaks registration opens Monday morning for students looking to travel and volunteer this summer.
Students interested in participating in a service trip over the summer can sign up on the Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center page through OrgSync starting at 7:30 a.m. Monday.
Alternative Breaks pair groups comprised of 12 students with nonprofit organizations working on specific social issues around the country. In the past, Alternative Breaks has sent students to places including Texas, Colorado and New York.
The locations of this summer's trips will not be released until registration has ended.
Topics for this year's trips will be animal endangerment, education, Native American issues, substance abuse and veteran’s needs. The week-long trips will run from May 7 to 11, with the exception of the the animal endangerment break, which will be held from Aug. 11 to 18. Registration closes at 5 p.m. Friday.
“We don't reveal the locations until after the sign-ups. This is so students won't sign up based on a location, but instead will choose based on a social issue they would like to work with,” said Greenville senior Troy Heffron, who will lead the animal endangerment-focused trip.
Heffron said going on one of the breaks is a great way to learn more about a particular issue, meet new people, travel and provide a service that can better a community.
“I’ve been on four. It’s an outstanding experience,” said Dearborn native Elway Pegg, a graduate assistant for the Volunteer Center. “People join for all different types of reasons, and once they get there, they develop a passion for what they’re doing.”
In addition to the week-long trips, the Volunteer Center also offers shorter, weekend trips, the details of which will be announced later in the year.
Heffron said on the weekend trips, students volunteer based on issues to the week-long trips, but on a more local level, typically traveling to different areas in Michigan.
“It’s the same experience, it’s just condensed," Heffron said. "It’s a great way to get your feet wet"
