More than two dozen UM-Dearborn students use spring break to make an impact in communities

While many students see spring break as a time to relax or travel for leisure, University of Michigan-Dearborn's Community Involvement and Volunteerism Center (the CIViC) sent 27 students on three Alternative Spring Break trips where the focus was on community service and education.

One group of students went to the Appalachian area of Tennessee to focus on Native American issues. Another group went to visit Heifer International, a farm in Western Massachusetts, and the final group traveled all of 20 minutes to stay at the Fort Street Church in downtown Detroit for the week.

he group of seven students who traveled to Tennessee worked on three projects: building handicap accessible trails in the Smoky Mountains; learning about Cherokee, a Native American community that borders the national park; and meeting the elderly and youth in the community

Another Alternative Spring Break group of 13 UM-Dearborn students went to Rutland, Mass. to serve on the Heifer International Learning Center at Overlook Farm, which provides experiential education that inspires, challenges and engages people to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth.

While on the farm, the group assisted with livestock chores, grounds keeping tasks and service learning.  The most memorable activity, according to the students, was the Global Village Meal in which the students had to live in a small cabin on the farm’s property to get a feel for what life is like in rural Poland. The team made and prepared its own food over a wood-firing stove and bargained at the market for goods

While the other Alternative Spring Break groups traveled across the country, one group of UM-Dearborn students took the week to get to know the local region and a little bit better. The Detroit Alternative Spring Break group stayed in Fort Street Presbyterian Church in downtown Detroit for six nights. The group volunteered at a myriad of non-profits doing educational and volunteer work for the week in order to get a better understanding of the issues facing the city today. Non-profits included Focus HOPE, the Greening of Detroit, Freedom House, the Ruth Ellis Center, the Grace Lee Boggs Center, 5e Gallery, Gleaners Community Food Bank and Earthworks.

The CIViC plans to participate in Alternative Spring Break next year as well as provide Alternative Weekend Trips.

To view images from the Alternative Spring Break trips, visit the CIViC’s Facebook page and photo gallery.