Alternative Service Breaks
The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) has instituted an annual Alternative Winter Break to foster greater understanding of complex social issues and provide direct service to regions of the country affected by national disasters.
In 2007, students traveled to New Orleans, LA to assist in rehabilitation efforts following Hurricane Katrina. The CCE intends to broaden travel throughout the United States in order to address a variety of social concerns and offer more extensive disaster relief.
Alternative Winter Break 2007-2008: New Orleans
From Nov. 25 - Dec. 2, the Center for Community Engagement coordinated an Alternative Winter Break to New Orleans, LA. Students explored the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, assisted in rebuilding efforts with a national organization committed to local objectives and absorbed the rich culture of an historic American city. The students returned North with invaluable leadership experience obtained on the worksite as well as a greater perspective on critical issues which face the United States.
Seven students from the CardinalCorps Leaders program were selected to attend the Alternative Winter Break program in New Orleans. The students contributed 280 hours of service to help rebuild three different homes in the GNO (Greater New Orleans) area, including a home once owned by famed gospel singer and activist Mahalia Jackson. Through their concerted service efforts as well as exposure to the extreme devastation of the Lower Ninth Ward, the students possess a greater understanding of the issues that hamper the rebuilding process in New Orleans. In addition, the students discovered why the preservation of New Orleans is so critical after they encountered the unique cultural history of the city. These cultural experiences included a night of local Zydeco music, a tour of the famous cemeteries, beignets from Café du Monde and a ferry boat ride on the Mississippi river.
The students resided at the St. Jude Community Center, which is located between the French
Quarter and the CBD (Central Business District). St. Jude is dedicated to providing local residents, many of whom live below the poverty line, with basic necessities including food, water and toiletries. The week spent living at the Center was an enlightening yet challenging experience for the students, many of whom had never interacted on a such level with a person coping with homelessness. The students completed 280 hours of service with a national organization called Rebuilding Together, which is dedicated to rebuilding communities in New Orleans. The Center for Community Engagement was drawn to Rebuilding Together because it adheres to the dominant philosophy in New Orleans that the distinctive communities and rich culture that flourished prior to Hurricane Katrina deserve preservation through rehabilitation efforts.
Student Responses as Reflective of Learning Outcomes:
"The way anyone and everyone stopped to thank us while we were there whether it be at a restaurant or on the
actual worksite was heartwarming. It kind of showed how much the city was united in their sorrow, but also hopeful for the future.To hear people's personal stories was absolutely moving and it let me know that what I was doing was making a HUGE difference in a person's or a family's life."
- Breanna Watzka
"Each house we worked on was a challenge in some respect; whether it was putting up insulation in the house of
Mahalia Jackson, or it was painting high ceilings or even standing on attic studs to apply radiant barrier to the roof, our personal discomfort was forgotten for the sake of others. This trip gave me the ability to see how far I was willing to go for others; how hard I was willing to work out of my comfort zone. I appreciated every aspect of the trip because I learned a great deal about myself. I don't believe anyone could go on a trip of this magnitude and come out the same person as they were when they left."
- Lindsey Schramm
