Groups to serve over break
Student organizations plan to spend break giving back to others
While many students flock toward sandy beaches, several organizations at NDSU are preparing spring break trips.
Service projects, building schools and providing music to communities are some of the tasks students will be doing with their organizations on spring break.
“Students Today, Leaders Forever” will be sending two buses — one to Washington D.C. and another to San Antonio, TX for the Pay it Forward Tour.
Fifteen buses, including the two from NDSU, will gather in D.C. and San Antonio, the “Celebration Cities,” stopping to do service along the way.
“Everyone stays in these Celebration Cities for three days doing service projects and seeing the sights,” said Greg Tehven, co-founder of STLF.
Tehven said the entire idea started with a few freshmen students sitting in their dorm room, talking about how they could make the world a better place and the idea grew from there.
“I love spring break because I can hang out with some of my good friends and make a difference,” said Josh Reimnitz, a senior majoring in mass communication, who will be leading the D.C. bus. “The first year we did this there was one bus. Now we have fifteen.”
Reimnitz said eight buses will go to D.C. and seven to San Antonio, TX.
Service projects make up about four hours of each day, and community members sometimes provide dinners for the students.
“The relationships are a major part of the experience. I know people who are going to Cancun for break but when I come back from STLF, I talk about my experience for months,” said Courtney Smith, a pharmaceutical science graduate student who has attended the trip every year since it started.
“The Engineers without Borders” group is going to Guatemala along with the F-M Rotary Club. Together the group of twenty students will travel to Zacualpa, Guatemala, five hours northwest of Guatemala City.
“Traveling to places with different cultures and new ideas is neat to see,” said Martin Hanson, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering. “The people we work with are native Mayan people who have completely different communication skills and ways of working.”
Hanson said hand signals are used frequently to communicate with the native people.
“The way buildings are designed are not like the ones in Fargo,” Hanson said. “Brick is commonly used—anything to protect from heavy rain and earthquakes.”
The organization brings coffee back from Guatemala to sell as a fundraiser in the Memorial Union.
“Doing this kind of a spring break is a good experience because it allows students to see how other countries do things,” Hanson said.
For more information about the trip to Guatemala or Engineers without Borders visit www.acm.ndsu.nodak.edu/ewb/.
Habitat for Humanity is going to Las Prucez, New Mexico where they will work for six hours each day building houses or doing other service projects.
“I’ve attended this trip for four years,” said Susan Gaddie, trip leader and senior majoring in interior design. “I think you get more out of spring break doing something to help people. This experience has really shaped who I am.”
To find out more information about Habitat for Humanity visit www.ndsuhabitatforhumanity.com/.
The NDSU Concert Choir will be going on tour during break. Jo Ann Miller, choir director said students have tons of fun on the trip.
“We do things like secret Santa throughout the bus trip,” Miller said.
Every concert sponsor provides a dinner for the choir as well.
“We eat, play and sing together. It’s good bonding time on the bus,” Miller said.
Warren Olfert, band director, will take the NDSU concert band on tour as well.