Alternative Spring Break Offers Opportunities for UA Students to Help Others

TUSCALOOSA Ala. — For many college students, spring break is a time for relaxing on the beach, spending time with family or simply taking a vacation from classes. This year, The University of Alabama Community Service Center is inviting students to think outside the box and apply for the 2007 Alternative Spring Break program.

Alternative Spring Break gives UA students the opportunity to participate in volunteer projects in communities outside the Tuscaloosa area.

While at their destination, students will work closely with members of the local community and, in the past, have been involved with activities such as cooking meals for the homeless, working with disabled children, planting trees in a reforestation effort and even assisting in the 9-11 cleanup efforts.

The 2007 ASB locations will be Sacramento, Calif., and Perryville, Ark. There are also two pending trips to Mexico and Thailand.

Opportunities available to students on these trips will most likely include assisting cancer patients, working in poverty-stricken areas, conducting environmental projects, and interacting with an international community. The trips are also tailored to fit a college student’s budget.

Applications are available now in the Community Service Center, 231 Ferguson Center, and are due Friday, Dec. 8.

For more information about UA Alternative Spring Break, contact Michael Hallman at hallm006@bama.ua.edu or Wilesha Taylor at wltaylor@bama.ua.edu, 205/348-5897.

For information regarding the pending trip to Mexico, contact Valerie Phillips at vphillips@sa.ua.edu or 205/348-5722.

For information regarding the pending trip to Thailand, contact Mark Perkins at mwperkins@bama.ua.edu.