While hundreds of UNH students spent their spring breaks having fun in the sun, a group of over 100 motivated individuals spent their spring break helping out communities across the country.
Alternative Break Challenge (ABC) is a group that was started at UNH in 1994. ABC is a program that has college students travel across the nation volunteering to work during their spring break. Though it seems many students would probably never want to spend their spring break volunteering their time and energy, the program is extremely popular.
Students can choose from a wide variety of locations and different volunteer opportunities. Some of the trip locations stay the same from year to year, while others change. This past spring break there were 13 trips that went to different parts of Florida, Arkansas, Mississippi, Iowa, Nebraska, Michigan, Georgia, Missouri and North and South Carolina.
There was also one international trip to Nicaragua, the first time ABC has done a trip outside of the United States. These trips included volunteer opportunities such as working on a Habitat for Humanity house, working at community centers, after school programs and working in trail maintenance.
Tim Carlin, ABC executive staff member, emphasizes why ABC is such a great program. "It's inexpensive compared to normal spring break," Carlin said. "It's fun, different, and you're helping out." The cost of the trip was $150, which included food, lodging and gas/van rental for the drive there, definitely cheaper than your average spring break. This year was less expensive than past years.
Erin Delaney, co-chair of ABC, said, "We were really lucky this year to get a grant from the parents association, which was huge as far as helping us finance the van rentals."
While their final destination may have been Nebraska or Florida, the experiences they encountered traveling to and from their locations are often the most memorable.
Kerry Ann Smith, a student who was on the Nebraska trip, stated, "On the way there we did a little detour and went to St. Louis and saw the arch. It was a blast. On the way back we stopped in Chicago and went to the Sears Tower and got some deep-dish pizza. Lots of memories from just the van ride there and back."
Carlin was a group leader of the trip to Cumberland Island, Georgia. His group performed trail maintenance such as clearing paths and cutting back bushes. His group camped outside with the wild horses and armadillos. While camping may not be for everyone, not every ABC trip requires you to sleep in the wilderness. Many trips have housing in community centers and churches.
Smith and Carlin felt that their experiences were positive. As Smith said, "Not only did we get to do something good for a community, but we made some awesome friendships and memories for a lifetime."
When asked if he would do it again, Carlin answered, "Yeah, of course, it's a fun time and great to help out."
If you are interested in participating in Alternative Break Challenge next year, look for applications after Thanksgiving at the ABC office, MUB 12B, which are due after winter break. The applications, along with other information, can be found online at http://www.unh.edu/abc
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