THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2014
PAGE 11
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Students spend summer helping others
BY CHRISTY NUTT
cnutt@kansan.com
Two things surprised Keri Schreiner while volunteering in Galveston, Texas — the amount of destruction still left in the town nearly three years after Hurricane Ike, and the amount of compassion among the community.
"Some people lost everything, but they still had a sense of giving and community," Schreiner, a senior from Shelbyville, Ky., said.
Schreiner said one woman was more worried about her neighbor's electricity getting turned on than the work the students were doing to fix her corroded porch.
The experience made Schreiner realize how fortune she is and the importance of giving to others, she said.
"The trip changed my mind about what I want to do in life. One thing I know is that volunteer work will always be a part of my life," Schreiner said.
Schreiner is just one of the 40 KU students who volunteered as part of the summer Alternative Break program, said Stephanie Jian, Alternative Break co-director. Five different groups of KU volunteers traveled to five states. The students left on May 23 for a week of volunteer
work, Melanie Gorges, the program's summer coordinator, said.
The summer volunteer work ranged from environmental conservation in Flamingo, Fla., to youth education at the Cheyenne River Reservations in Eagle Butte, S.D., Gorges said.
The volunteer trips are a lot of fun but also a lot of hard work, Gorges said.
"If volunteering is not your thing, then I wouldn't suggest it because it is a week of full-fledged work," Gorges said.
Schreiner said her group would often work nine hours a day in the Texas heat. The work was not only physical but also emotionally challenging, she said.
Participants must take a weekly class for 2-4 weeks to prepare them for the work, but the experience is also very rewarding, Gorges said.
"It is a really cool way to have a real life experience outside the classroom with other KU students while you are seeing the world," Gorges said.
Students can apply to earn honor credits by participating in the program and completing the preparatory classes.
In addition to paying for the cost of tuition, students must complete a final paper and a few reflective writings, Gorges said.
About half of participants took advantage of the honor credit, Gorges said.
The cost for students to participate in the summer alternative break without accounting for the honor credit was between $275 and $375 depending on the site location. The participation fee pays for gas and basic accommodations, Gorges said.
There are partial scholarships and payment plans available for students that can't afford the participation fee, Jian said.
Students can participate in weekend trips through the Alternative Break program as well as the summer, winter and spring trips.
Jian said more weekend trips will be scheduled next year than in previous years. The weekend trips will start on Aug. 27.
"We are extending the program a lot next year. We will have weekend trips almost every weekend during the school year." Jian said.
The additional weekend trips will help accommodate the some 300 incoming honors freshman that must complete one honorary credit hour outside of the classroom, Jian said.
The program is accepting applications for weekend breaks now. Applications are available on the Alternative Breaks website.
For most weekend trips students spend one
Contributed photo
Chris Wichman volunteers in Galveston earlier this summer as part of the Alternative Breaks program.
day volunteering at organizations in Lawrence or Kansas City, Jian said.
Weekend trips cost $5 to $10.
"If you have never done volunteer work before, it is a cool way to get started," Gorges said.
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