The Community Service Center at The University of Alabama is preparing for its alternative fall break in northwest Alabama.
“Alternative breaks were created to give students a good solution during the break,” Courtney Chapman Thomas, director of the Community Service Center, said. “We were looking for something to be a good use of their time but also benefit their education. We like to take the volunteer experience and cultural experience and combine it into one package.”
Alternative breaks are conducted during an extended period of time off from school such as fall, winter, spring break, MLK holiday and May Interim.
“Alternative breaks do have cost; the rest of our service opportunities do not,” Chapman Thomas said. “The fees are clearly put in our website and when you register you get a breakdown of why the fee is what it is.”
The Community Service Center will be working in Guin, Ala., with Habitat for Humanity, as well as working a local community fall festival.
“We partner with different organizations for every alternative break,” Taylor Wood, student director for alternative breaks, said. “We contacted a representative from Habitat and they really love college students to come in. We bring a lot of great energy and they love showing us around.”
The Community Service Center has 197 partnerships with nonprofit organizations, including Autism Society of Alabama, Boys & Girls Club of West Alabama, Project Hope and the Humane Society of West Alabama.
The Community Service Center educates students for service advocacy and leadership, civic responsibility and lifelong volunteerism by increasing awareness of community needs, resources and opportunities for social problem-solving, according to the 2013-14 Volunteer Guide.
The volunteer guide also lists the many different focus areas within the center, including Civic Engagement & Outreach, Al’s Pals Membership Program and Beat Auburn Beat Hunger, and gives more details about their partnerships.
“For spring break we are looking to do an international trip to the Dominican Republic,” Wood said when asked about future alternative breaks. “We always partner with an organization that is familiar with the area, last year during our Dominican Republic trip we partnered with an area that lead an orphanage, we worked with that family with physical rebuilding projects, as well as feeding and teaching students.”
Students interested can go to volunteer.ua.edu where weekly and monthly service events are on the calender, as well as the contact information. Those interested can like the group on Facebook and follow them on Twitter for more information.
