{"id":1344,"date":"2024-01-10T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-10T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.uscupstate.edu\/servicestories\/?p=1344"},"modified":"2025-10-25T14:11:50","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T14:11:50","slug":"service-stories-archive-alternative-spring-break-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uscupstate.edu\/servicestories\/service-stories-archive-alternative-spring-break-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Service Stories Archive: Alternative Spring Break 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article was originally published in<\/em> 2020<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALTERNATIVE SPRING BREAK 2020<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

REMEMBERING THE DAYS BEFORE ENFORCED SOCIAL DISTANCING<\/mark><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This Service Story focuses on service completed by 16 students and two staff members in Tampa, FL from March 7-13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every year, Associate Director of Leadership and Service, Dr. Deb Kladivko works with a student leadership team to organize opportunities for civic-minded students to dedicate their Spring Break to serving others. These opportunities, called Alternative Spring Breaks (ASB), are designed to  provide students the opportunity to complete service projects at locations outside of the local area and for longer periods of time than typical short volunteerism opportunities.  Students pay a portion of the cost of transportation, meals, and lodging and the University subsidizes the rest. Each year interested students interview for a position on the ASB Student Planning Committee. Successful candidates determine the service location, identify service projects, and plan logistics with Deb in an advisory role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year’s team chose to work primarily with Junior Achievement<\/a> to teach business-related life skills to children and young adults from kindergarten through middle school. Our students went through training and then paired up in classrooms and simulated storefronts in a “BizTown” where students put lessons into practice. The team also served doing maintenance and yard work for Ronald McDonald houses<\/a> and home projects for CareFest<\/a>. The group wedged in time for a boat trip on the Gulf and even saw some dolphins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Student Voices:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We close this Service Story with snippets of reflections from students who served:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brittany Horres<\/strong>, Student Coordinator, 5x Alternative Break Participant <\/p>\n\n\n\n