Spring Break Service Trips Tap Volunteer Spirit

GAINESVILLE, Fla., March 20, 2009 -- Booze, beaches and babes: ah, yes, spring break has come again. But this year, "budget" is another "B" word sneaking into the description for college students.

College students have always looked for good deals for spring break, said Patrick Evans of STA Travel, which bills itself as "the world's largest student, youth and budget travel organization." But value isn't just about money. A growing number have found a different way to squeeze as much value into a weeklong vacation by taking service trips, which focus on volunteer work.

The travel company offers a few packages, such as working to save sea turtles in Costa Rica ($799 for 15 days) or teaching English in Guatemala ($650 plus airfare for one week), which have been more popular this year than in past years, Evans said. Most students looking for a less stereotypical spring break experience find outlets through clubs, schools, churches or non-profit organizations.

Young Americans are already volunteering in droves. According to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 22 percent of 16- to 24-year-old Americans volunteered last year, up 1 percent from the previous year. Spring break is simply another time to combine fun and service.

Student Interest Increases

Jeremy Grossman tried it once and never turned back.

The student director of Florida Alternative Breaks (FAB) at the University of Florida has taken six service trips since his first year of college, three of which were over spring break. This year's trip to Greenville, S.C., was his fourth.

"I got hooked on this my freshman year," Grossman said, "So the whole idea of spring break didn't really exist."

FAB has grown in popularity each year since its beginning at UF in 1992 with a trip to help victims of Hurricane Andrew. This year, the student group offered 15 different service trips, each focused on a different issue. The number of trips has tripled since 2001.

The group also saw more applicants than usual. Grossman said the group has speculated that the election could have hyped students on the issues, which he called "the Obama factor." The group also offered an online application for the first time.

For this spring break, 210 students total traveled both in ($205) and out ($1,280) of the country with full itineraries and new friends.

Grossman likes to use his spring break to do something for others, since he spends most of the year doing things for himself. A cruise or a beach blowout doesn't seem as special to him.

"I could drink any time of the year," he said.

Inner-City Travel

David Williams took a spring break trip to a lake with friends in the past, but this year, he wanted to take his week off to widen his perspective.

"The attitude [at the lake] was have a good time… and mind-numbingly do stuff," the University of Kentucky student said.

This year, he planned to travel with his church, First United Methodist Church in Lexington, to help with an after-school care program in inner-city Atlanta.

Each year, the ministry selects a different urban location in which to volunteer. Williams took a trip to Chicago two years ago, but he said this trip is one of the biggest the church has taken for spring break, with 17 or 18 students traveling.

The engineering graduate student plans to use his talents to build a retaining wall for the basketball court at the after-school program.

At a cost of $20 plus food, the group will stay in Atlanta from Saturday toThursday of their spring break, mentoring children and helping out at the after-school center.

For Williams, the experience of volunteering with a group of good people is his idea of spring break fun.

Camping for a Cause

Kyle Reiser found his ideal spring break trip through the power of Google.

Last spring break, the Ohio State University student typed "alternative spring break natural resources" into the search engine and found an opportunity to work with the American Hiking Association cleaning up and rebuilding trails at a state park in Tennessee.

Reiser brought a group of nine students to camp for a week for free after fundraising from local businesses.

This year, the group will have 12 people (many of the same from last year) to travel to the Great Smoky Mountains and spray for woolly adelgid—an invasive insect that is threatening the natural habitat.

They weren't as successful in finding sponsorship this year because businesses weren't as willing to donate, but each student will get to go for about $200, which is much cheaper than a trip to the beach for the Ohio students.

Reiser likes the feeling that his week of work will be appreciated long after he's gone. Last year, the park ranger called and said many visitors were thrilled with the new trails.

"Other people are able to enjoy and reap the benefits of what we're doing," Reiser said.

Fighting for Migrant Rights

More spring breakers chose to stay close to home this year.

Carolina Cerruto chose to stay close to home and work on something very close to her heart.

The University of Florida junior had a lead role in planning a trip for 13 students from the student organization CHISPAS, the Coalition of Hispanics Integrating Spanish Speakers through Advocacy and Service.

For this immersion trip, the group traveled first to Tallahassee to rally for migrant workers' rights and against Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. They then drove by Naples, Fla., to the farming community called Immokalee.

"You drive 15 to 20 minutes into the fields, and it's like a developing country," Cerruto said. "It's crazy that this is happening in our backyard."

The migrant workers often get paid much less than the U.S. minimum wage and, advocates say, become little more than modern-day slaves. Cerruto said the group focused on teaching the migrant workers about their lawful rights, health issues and importance of education.

The trip cost only $20 for lodging in a community center, plus food and transportation.

While Cerruto's close friends went on a cruise, they admired what she was doing. Cerruto said she'd love to go on a cruise, but working for better conditions in Immokalee meant so much more to her.

And she won't be able to pack up and take off a week of work after college.

"You only have a time to do this once," she said.