While many college students headed off to relax in the Caribbean sun, a group of 18 students and two staff members from the University of Massachusetts went on an ‘alternative spring break’ to New Orleans to rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina, which struck the United States in August 2005.

The trip was offered by the UMass Hillel and funded by the United Jewish Communities, Hillel International and money acquired during the 2nd Annual ‘Ride to Provide’ Charity Bike Ride last October. Furthermore, Hillel International and Habitat for Humanity decided on the project that the students would be working on.

While in New Orleans, the students stayed at Camp Hope, which is run by Habitat for Humanity. Over the course of the week, students rebuilt a fence, worked on a house that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and scraped paint off the siding.

‘At the camp, we met and got to talk to a lot of people who have been volunteering there for weeks, even months. We were the largest group of a little over 200 students that week, with kids from many different Hillel’s across the country, which was also another cool thing, being able to meet Jewish students from all over the U.S. that all came to this one place for the same purpose,’ said Karen Sokolow, a participant on the trip.

Prior to the trip, students attended several educational sessions to prepare.

‘In the educational sessions, we discussed the impact of Hurricane Katrina on our own lives as well as covering a little bit of history and culture of the city of New Orleans. At the conclusion of the trip, the last day in New Orleans, we gathered as a campus group to discuss what the trip meant to us, to share our thoughts with each other and how we would bring the message and experience of the trip back to our community.’ said Ben Ring, a staff leader for the trip.

According to the Habitat for Humanity’s website, its mission ‘is to build houses in partnership with sponsors, volunteers, communities and homeowner families, whereby families are empowered to transform their own lives, and to eliminate poverty housing in the New Orleans area while serving as a catalyst to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action.

‘I think the trip had a profound impact on the students,’ continued Ring. ‘Students came back from the trip so energized and really interested in doing something about the problems in New Orleans. I also think that the students bonded and connected so well with each other, and it was really great to see people become so close over the course of a week.’

Funding for alternative spring breaks such as the community service trip to New Orleans is raised through events sponsored by the UMass Hillel. One such event is ‘Ride to Provide,’ which takes place in September. ‘Ride to Provide’ is a bike ride charity event, and money raised during this event benefits the alternative spring break program in particular.‘

‘I learned that groups going down and volunteering really do make a huge difference and if it weren’t for people like us, the city would not be in the decent shape that it is in today,’ said Sokolow.

‘The most important thing I learned was that it’s important to go back and share your experiences with family and friends and just inform people on what is going on down there,’ she said. ‘Already five years have passed, so it is not one of the biggest issues on people’s minds and many may think that the rebuilding is almost done, which is why they don’t think to still go down there and volunteer. However, that is not the case at all.’

Dinah Gorelik can be reached at [email protected].

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