Day 4: Hanging Out in the Club

After being on the East Coast for five days, the group was starting to feel the fatigue of traveling as well as waking up early during winter break. Fortunately, our morale and enthusiasm was still high and intact. For our fourth and final day of volunteering, we went to Boston’s Westend Boys & Girls Club. When we first arrived, were given a tour of the facilities and were blown away with what we saw. Three floors of study rooms, arts and crafts areas, a full-length lap pool, a gymnasium, music studio, and so much more, it epitomized a kid’s fantasy. After the tour, half of the group set out to create a winter wonderland for the upcoming Christmas party by cutting out snowflakes and decorating the rooms. The other half went to work in the kitchen to help preparehealthy meals for the children. When the kids started trickling in the doors after school, we spent the rest of the day playing with them and helping out with homework.

Spending time with the club members, elementary to high school ages, allowed us to interact directly with the people we were helping. Conversations revealed their dreams of attending schools like MIT or NYU and majoring in subjects such as architecture or art. Activities showcased their impressive talents whether it was jamming to The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back,” reciting the multiplication table as fast as possible, or even cutting out fancy snowflakes. Watching a place like the Boys & Girls Club provide a positive, encouraging environment presented a heartwarming sight. Here, kids are safe to develop their creativity without limitations and pursue their dreams as they desire.

Alternative Breaks was a wonderful way to kick off winter break. Traveling across the country with a group of strangers for a community service trip seemed a little daunting in the beginning, but this initial thought was almost immediately dispelled. Our group felt comfortable with one another from the start but by the end of the week, it was as if we were all old friends. This trip also proved the importance of volunteering. There is always more that can be done to help progress a community and dedicating a few hours of time can get much accomplished. I'm grateful for this opportunity to make new connections, learn from experiences, and step outside of my usual comfort zone to help out others. My experience with Alternative Breaks not only made me realize that I can actually withstand 30 degree weather, but that a single individual's effort can truly make a difference.

Day 3 Was a Blast!!

We started off our morning bracing the brutal cold of 38 degrees. We're not in San Luis Obispo anymore! We took the T (Subway) to Cradles to Crayons where we were greeted by a California born-turned Boston native. We got a brief orientation and went immediately to work. We were broken up into 2 groups. One group inspected and sorted donated clothing for distribution and the other opened donated clothing bags for inspection.

After a long day of service, we regrouped with other volunteers to hear how many lives we impacted. Collectively, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo impacted 270 children with just 4 hours of service!

That night, we split up to partake in our individual night activities. A group of girls went to see the broadway show musical, Memphis, and another group went to TD Gardens to watch the Celtics take on the Dallas Mavericks!

Overall, the day was fantastic! Volunteering at Cradles to Crayons went by unbelievably fast! Day 3. Check.

Day 2- You Know You're Not from Boston When You...

Wear hoodies instead of a real coat to keep warm.
Get a kick out finding someone with a Bostonian accent.
Gawk at the amount of Dunkin' Donuts everywhere.
Still hesitate to walk diagonally through an intersection.
Wonder why ice hockey isn't a hit over on the West Coast. 
Pay to take a tour of Fenway park.
Have to stop and think about which branch of the Green Line you need to take.
Finally have a real reason to wear a scarf in public.

Despite all of the little idiosyncrasies mentioned above that the entire group seems to have been experiencing these past couple of days, the fact that we're in one of the most historic, charismatic, and breathtaking cities in the nation is finally starting to sink in through the excessive layering of our clothes.  The sheltered students from the land of 70 degree winters are finally getting their bearings!  As we ate our Trader Joe's smorgasbord in the Boston Common today, even the fluorescent, neon pink explosion of Cassie Pitkin's sweater couldn't counter the glow of falling willow leaves and the company of new friends...  something that I'm truly grateful for.

It's funny at least to me that regardless of the situation, the gratitude people show towards your service and work always comes off the same way- a smile that stretches the span of a person's face, the endless warmth of genuine hugs, the showering of "Thank You's", and the sincere connection that forms between two strangers.  Today our group volunteered at Room to Grow, an organization that enriches the lives of babies in poverty throughout their first three years.  As trivial as our assignment of folding and sorting baby clothes might have come off, the experience of "Learn By Doing Good", along with time spent with Jen, who patiently taught us how to identify a Onesie from a t-shirt couldn't have exemplified this idea anymore.  By the time I walked out today, Jen had just become yet another one of the people I have volunteered for that I can say I am truly thankful for.  You're surroundings and background are completely irrelevant... Go get off your butt, out of your heated house, and do something great with your Christmas Break, and I'm telling you that it doesn't take a trip across the nation for you to feel the same thing I felt today.

So the moral of this blog today is that you'd be surprised as to how enlightening folding clothes can get... Now I get to drift off to sleep, the ringing of the subway's screeching brakes still bouncing in my ears as I shudder at the 29 degree forecasted low for tomorrow.

Boston is AMAZING!!!!

Alternative Breaks 2012- Boston

Day one in Boston was definitely a day to remember. Though everyone was tired from travel, we all mustered up energy and by the time breakfast was over, we could not wait to get out and get to work. We left the hostel around 8 AM and walked into a beautifully cloudy and chilly Boston morning. We walked the streets of Boston on our way to our first destination, the Park Street Church. We were greeted by a man named Rich, who as we later found out was an expert on the history of Boston. He gave us a brief tour and history briefing of the church, and then explained the tasks for the day. First on the list was painting the stairways.... We teamed up, three people per floor, and got to painting! Other tasks for the day included cleaning carpets, leaf blowing the roof, painting pillars, cleaning pews, and refurbishing chandeliers. Halfway through our day, Rich ordered pizza for us, and as we ate he went into more detail about the city of Boston. Once we finished, he guided us on a tour of Park Street and the surrounding area, really giving us and insiders perspective on the city. We cruised around for awhile before eventually coming back to the church to finish our tasks. As our day of volunteering concluded, it was obvious how grateful Rich was for us being there to help out. He explained that  painter would have charged him $8,000 to complete the same work that we did for free. It was truly amazing to see how thankful he was.

After eating dinner at the hostel, we were off to the Harvard hockey game! We got to walk around the streets surrounding Harvard, and even the campus itself. After the game, we did some more walking around, and then headed to Quincy Market. Everything was decorated so beautifully for the holidays, and we even got to watch a light show that was completely synchronized to Christmas music. By the end of the day, we were all exhausted from the adventures we had, but all in all, everyone was grateful for the amazing things that we got to experience. It was the perfect way to kick off the trip!

Alternative Breaks, New York: RECAP!

It feels as if we just flew back from NY yesterday. Starting as a group of strangers, shy and uneasy, we ended up a group of friends, caring and fun. Though educated about the food devastation problem, it didn't exactly hit me until I saw it with my own eyes. Seeing the massive long lines at the community kitchen and seeing the streets devoid of produce markets made me realize how much these people need help and support. My most memorable part of the trip was being able to see the people I was serving and converse with them. One of the guys in line, when asked why there was a pen in his pocket, said, "I am a writer. I write almost anything; poetry, I write whatever is happening around me." I don't think I can forget the look in his eyes as he thanked and blessed us with his sincere heart. Going on this trip influenced me to reexamine the situation here in SLO--in this past month, I was able to be a part of this ministry with my fellowship in passing out sandwiches, socks, and fruit to anyone in need in the downtown area. Every time I think of this trip, it is a reminder to volunteer at the homeless shelter or community kitchens and really put myself out there to make a difference. Cassie and Jessie were awesome leaders and I can see how truly passionate they are about helping their community and making a difference. Thank you Alt. Breaks NY for shining a light upon me so that I may be a light to others. "Leadership is action, not position." - Donald H. McGannon

Diane Lee

Alternative Breaks New York Reflection!

The Alternative Breaks New York 2012 crew flew back home to California over a month ago, but we will forever stay connected to NYC through our experiences, memories, and continued volunteerism.  Volunteering throughout the week at four different locations, with varied populations, opened our eyes to the extreme amount of hunger in NYC.  We now understand the importance of volunteering whenever possible and doing what we can for those in need.  Running on limited sleep, the smiles and thanks that we received from those we were serving pushed us to keep working hard throughout the day.  A day that stuck out to me was when we had the opportunity to work with Encore Community Services delivering meals on wheels to homebound seniors in Times Square.  These senior citizens were so thankful for the meal we were dropping off and the interactions we had with them will forever be in my memory.  Overall, this experience has made me a better person with a changed outlook on life.  As a graduating senior, Alternative Breaks will stand out as a key component of my college experience and will continue to push me to volunteer throughout my life.  I want to thank Jesse and Cassie for all of their hard work and planning to make this trip happen, we all love you!

Julianne Jochums

Reflecting on Alternative Breaks: New York!

Alternative Breaks New York is long over but we are still feeling the effects. The impact Alternative Breaks had on us is evident in the relationships that are still thriving and in our collective commitment to continue to better our community. Within the group, people still stay surprisingly well connected. In fact, people have joined and play on the same intramural dodge ball league. Walking around campus you can count on bumping into one of the participants and receiving a welcoming hug and the reassuring feeling one gets from seeing an old friend. Beyond the relationships that were created among the group, other effects still linger.  The amazing high we all got from volunteering is still fresh. The empowering feeling we got from making a difference has given us the confidence to continue to make a difference. I can speak from personal experience, alternative breaks got me volunteering and now I don’t want to stop. I have gotten involved with local homeless shelters, and day centers. Serving meals, prepping and painting shelters that need a touch up. My brother and I have begun teaching German at Hawthorne elementary school. Collectively we are changed because we realize we can have an impact. New York showed us that when a group of caring and hard working individuals get together they can change the circumstances that people are subjected to even if it’s just for a meal. We made an impact in New York and New York had an impact on us. For those who are considering volunteering with alternative breaks, realize that the effects don’t end when you’re done volunteering. The effects live on in the new empowered ability you feel to create change, improve people lives, and improve yourself. 

Aline Schmitz

Reuniting to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.

Because of Martin Luther King Jr.’s paramount dedication to service, his birthday has been honored as a National Day of Service for the past 16 years, uniting volunteers across America behind the importance of serving one’s community.  The group from our New Orleans Alternative Breaks trip was able to reunite to be a part of this Day of Service and volunteered with the San Luis Obispo Food Bank in efforts to collect food from residential neighborhoods throughout SLO County. 

We had three students from the trip come out to the Morro Bay site on Saturday, January 14, to take bags to Los Osos neighborhoods.  They placed these empty bags on the doorsteps of houses and left instructions that explained how residents can put food into the bags, which will then be collected the following Monday.  We asked each volunteer group to take fifty bags to fulfill an hour long of volunteering, but the students went beyond what was expected of them and requested to take 600 bags, a task that would end up lasting them around five hours.

On Monday, we had twelve students who were able to help with the bag pick up.  After making numerous trips to and from Los Osos to Morro Bay, we were able to process around 200 full bags of food, which contributed to the overall SLO County total of 14,000 pounds of collected food throughout the weekend.  It was so refreshing to have everyone together again not just to reunite, but to reunite over similar types of volunteering that we were able to do in New Orleans.  A famed call by the Food Bank is that “hunger doesn’t take a day off,” a saying that the students were able to recognize by dedicating their weekend and day off to service. 

Every time everyone from the New Orleans trip gets together, we cannot plan enough events to reunite in the future.  We’re hoping this is just the first of many service days we can do together to keep with the trends of the overall volunteering mission of Alternative Breaks.

Coming Full Circle

Upon arrival to the Second Harvest Food Bank of NO, we were whisked into the volunteer debriefing room to learn the various missions of the Food Bank and what we were hoping to accomplish on our last service day. After a short intro lesson to the disassemble, then reassemble, line we started on our fast-paced goal to pack 20,000 pounds of food. Chaperoned by two of our now adopted family, Mr. Charles and Mr. Vince, it began in a hurry, as our token boys on the trip were unpacking food out of boxes with an amazing zeal. Cruising down the conveyor belt, they were then sorted by individuals by pushing them into separate rows. They were then weighed in boxes, labeled and stacked on crates to be taken away. We became extremely efficient as a team of about thirty people as we worked with a group from Stewart Enterprises. With music playing, we rocked out a rhythm of packaging box after box of canned foods, dried goods, beverages, snacks, desserts, household products and condiments. With a goal in mind, we were committed and motivated, and before we knew it, we had almost hit our goal.

On one of our breaks we were able to take a tour of the warehouse and able to get a more full idea of what the Food Bank provides and is capable of. One of the most exciting of these is their community kitchen they just finished. It is used for cooking classes, which educate the public about healthy, affordable options for meals. After seeing the cooking-show style kitchen, we moved on to see the production kitchen, where they worked to serve 101,525 meals to 35 various sites with their Summer Feeding program, just one example of their programs directed at ending hunger. This was an exceptional process, facility and program for our students to hear about, as it opens up ideas for future avenues of focused work and potential fields of occupation.

After all was said and done, we totaled 21,270 pounds of food packaged, beating the previous record set by the Navy of pounds in a day! Yes, the Navy. Reflecting upon the day, we took most time to discuss the people of New Orleans. At the heart of our motivation for coming down on the service trip, the people of New Orleans have proved to be welcoming, hospital, thankful, and personable. While maintaining all of these qualities, they continue to be positive and uplifting. We have seen, through many various examples, the import of family and community for these citizens. They establish an extremely personal and comfortable relationship even with just a first introduction. We have seen a passion for life and an inundated sense of celebration here. They are proud of their culture and the only place they will ever call home, which was not at all shook by Katrina.

Finishing up the day, Stewart Enterprises invited us to their head quarters to show us Six Feet Under: Impact of Katrina on Stewart Enterprises. It was a video their company had made interviewing survivors of the 80% flooding of New Orleans. With their 600 employees at the time, they worked to make sure everyone was somewhere safe and unharmed. Interviewees recounted their tales of being split up from their families, having to deal with the spilling of crude oil to ruin 27,000 houses, taking out rescue boats, and of losing everything they had worked for their entire lives for some. Most could delineate between two lives of pre- and post- Katrina. Their slogan, “Caring for people, Making a difference” was seen in their actions they took to make sure their employees still had jobs, a place to live and food after the storm, even keeping FEMA trailers in the parking lot. One of the most touching scenes in the movie was the filming of hand-made cards sent from elementary kids from bordering states with such sentiments as: “We care a lot about you!” and “Is your family alright?” A few of those that shared this experience, Laurie, Brian, Kathy and others, made a great impact on us by first working together and then taking the time to show us their stories of weathering Katrina.

This last day of service remained positive and energetic throughout the day as we relished in a closing, uplifting project. We were able to see a large-scale impact of feeding over 17,000 families in New Orleans. It was a wonderful way to wrap up an emotionally varying, hard-working, and event-packed week. Not only was the day an incredibly phenomenal experience for all, we found out the soup kitchen we volunteered with at the beginning of the week is provided their food from Second Harvest. So, we have come full circle in seeing the interconnectedness of a community and how we can reach so many lives with just a few days of commitment.

With these days of service, we are able to see just how much we can accomplish as a few individuals in a community. With this in mind, we hope to share our experiences with family and friends; as well as maintain our service as we return back to SLO, fulfilling the mission of Alternative Breaks. 

December 14th: An Enlightening Experience

Our third day of service was with Green Light New Orleans. This organization offers free CFL light bulbs (the swirly kind), installation and removal of old incandescent bulbs. The students were broken up into 4 groups. This day involved close contact with community members and keyed students into personal experiences with Hurricane Katrina and continuing issues of poverty.

 

One group had the opportunity to spend half the day building a garden for a community member named Miss Dolores and the other half installing new light bulbs. The gardening experience was incredible. The students built a garden plot out of cinder blocks and planted vegetables, such as collard greens and strawberries. Miss Dolores was described as the sweetest lady ever with the warmth of a grandma. Another benefit to planting the garden was the idea of giving Miss Dolores a gift that would continue giving and helping. Neighbors around Miss Dolores saw her garden were wanting one like it as well – hopefully this will be an enterprise to spread all throughout New Orleans to get fresh produce to the community.

A different pair of students partnered with a Green Light interns to install light bulbs. As they ventured into the community, they noticed a disparity between the lower and higher income families. One student noted how she noticed that the lower income families had few other pieces of technology outside of televisions.  Video game consoles, computers, radios and other pieces of technology are common in most Californian households, but here these items were often absent. However, the families being served were incredibly grateful and would even try to donate at least a small amount to Green Light. This is contrasted to the high-income household the students saw. This household had a large home, complete with a TV in front of the toilet. Obviously, this is a very different situation than that of the families with lower incomes. However, the students noted that they did not feel as if the wealthier household was as grateful because they did not make a donation. The students had a good time getting to know the intern and interacting with the different families they helped.

           

 

The next group had a much different experience with the people they served today. The first couple of houses they went to had a limited number of light bulbs they could install due to heights and what not. They also witnessed some difficult situations – poor housing conditions, difficult landlords and signs of illiteracy revealed some of the things that community members are dealing with. Even though it was sad to see such things, the students appreciated the insight into the reality many people are living with in New Orleans.  Their day was brightened upon meeting Miss Mary, who was really hospitable and nice. After the hurricane, she tried to live in a trailer in front of her house but someone else was blocking her. She has had to live in several different locations, hotels and apartments, but is looking forward into her home in the near future.

            The fourth group of students had a really positive experience meeting community members and bonding together. The highlight of the day was Mama Deb. About halfway through the day, the group went to her house to install some light bulbs. She requested for only a couple of students to go into her home. The students that helped Mama Deb installed light bulbs and got to hear stories about Mama Deb’s experience with Hurricane Katrina. She ad stayed through the hurricane and didn’t leave until it had passed a week later. One of her tales recounted how she was watching her friend’s grocery store. Since the food was going to go to waste, a couple of guys were told to cook it all up. People from the neighborhood and military personnel would stop by for community dinners and to share a drink. Mama Deb also spoke about racial issues in her neighborhood. She told one story about the time she was hanging out with a white guy, and in response to some dirty looks from another black woman, Mama Deb began to hug and smooch her friend. The other woman was offended by such interactions between people from two different races and actually reported it to a couple of police officers near by. The officer, also being from different racial backgrounds, told the woman that if she closed her eyes that she wouldn’t see anything – dismissing her prejudice and forwarding an attitude of tolerance and acceptance. Though racial issues are sometimes thought to be completely resolved, Mama Deb reminded the students of its continuing presence and the benefits of those standing up against it.  The students also got to talk to other people who were here during the hurricane. One man told of how he almost missed the evacuation cut off and of his return to New Orleans, which was left without electricity for more than 8 months. He told of dark nights with the sound of gunshots in the distance but no way of seeing where it was coming from. Once more, the students got a deeper and more personal understanding of what happened during Hurricane Katrina and the still-continuing consequences. It was a great experience serving people with such good attitudes after facing and while facing such difficult circumstances.