As the semester gets cooking and this miserable weather drags on, many students’ minds turn to spring, or spring break at least.
I can’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy when I hear my friends making plans to fly to Florida or California, considering that my own modest plans involve soaking up the bleak gray skies of southwest Ohio, and breaking the hearts of kids and their parents alike at McDonald’s when I tell them from my register the PlayPlace is closed.
On the plus side, though, I don’t have to face this weather after being in glorious sunny weather.
Some students are spending their week off volunteering to help those in need on an alternative spring break.
An alternative spring break is just what it sounds like: another option for that all-too-brief week besides the stereotypical boozy beaching in Florida [not that there’s anything wrong with that].
Several organizations around campus sponsor trips during spring break.
The Office of Campus Activities and the Office of Service-Learning are just two on-campus organizations that students can pick from.
That does not include various religious groups that also send students on trips.
One such organization is St. Thomas More.
This year, the parish is sending students to two different locations: Immokalee, Fla. and Cincinnati, Ohio.
I have not gone on a trip like this myself, but many of my friends have and come back with very positive reviews.
They have fond memories of helping to build and paint homes, interacting with the locals and, yes, spending some time on the beach.
Volunteering is a healthy habit.
It feels good to be a positive influence in someone’s life. If this weather has you in a slump, try helping out others.
It might be too late to sign up for one of this year’s trips, but why not make a difference right where you are, even if you are just heading back home for the week?
Give your time at a soup kitchen, volunteer at a local humane society or visit at a nursing home.
Keep alternative spring breaks in mind next year.
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