Alternative Fall Break Recap!

We're back from Alternative Fall Break and feeling wonderful! All three groups met to reflect on each experience and we've found that each experience was more rewarding than originally anticipated.

Students got down and dirty at the Habitat for Humanity build in Chicopee, waking up at the crack of dawn (leaving the University at 7:45 each morning) to get dirt in places they didn't even know they had.
The group saw all aspects of the Habitat for Humanity program, including: the build, the paperwork and the application process. They learned that the Greater Springfield branch of Habitat for Humanity is only able to accommodate four builds each year. In comparison with the amount of applicants each year, four builds per year is very sparse.
While the group was bounced around to see all parts of the organization, they were beyond satisfied with the work they were able to do for the organization, along with the parts of the organization they were able to learn about and witness first-hand.

The Habitat group got down and dirty while another group of students traveled to the local Children's Study Home to help the organization and meet some awesome kids. On their first day, they worked in an office building, getting to know one another while painting, re-organizing and decorating for Halloween. After lunch, they met the children (all boys, ages 6-12) and were taught how to play a new basketball game: King of the Court. The group worked together to provide a fun-filled day of activities for the boys: painting leaves, kickball, relay races, basketball, football, and soccer.
The group also worked closely with the Sharp Home, which hosts boys ages 13-18.

The third and final group that participated in this year's Alternative Fall Break program dealt with issues of food security. The group worked closely with the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, where they were asked to sort hundreds of apples to be distributed to locals. The group also worked with the Holy Cross Sandwich Ministry, making over 300 sandwiches and distributing them to the homeless on Sunday morning. This experience was eye-opening for the group, as they made comments about how many people came out to receive their sandwiches and how much these people relied on the food they were being given. The group made the realization that food security is a larger issue than originally thought.

The Alternative Fall Break program was a success! Don't miss out on next year's AFB options! This is definitely a program to be a part of!