By: Maxine Swick
This year 33 undergraduate students participated in Alternative Spring Break. These students applied and were chosen to stay in the West Haven and New Haven areas rather than leave campus for spring break.
Over the course of the week students volunteered at six local organizations.Ten students learned skills such as tiling and caulking while working on one house for Habitat for Humanity foundations and five volunteers worked with Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS) helping new immigrants and refugees with job placements, housing, and adjustment to life in the United States.
New Haven Home Recovery hosted four volunteers who assisted with spring cleaning and painting. New Haven Reads raved that they “could not have asked for a better team to contribute to NHR” when reporting back about their seven volunteers.
An additional four students were sent to support the Connecticut Food Bank by sorting through food items, and our last group of students worked with the West Haven Child Development Center. Each of the three students was a teacher’s assistant for the week and two of the volunteers even performed for the kids with their guitar and sang the new popular song “Let it Go” from Frozen.
The Office of Community Service thanks these volunteers for their dedication and tireless effort during the week. Alternative Spring Break would not be possible without these students’ support. All six organizations have also expressed their deepest gratitude.
The volunteers included Alexandra Krinickas, Alexandra Maldonado, Amethyst del Pilar, Angelique Morse, Ariel Pierce, Ashley Hathaway, Brianna L’Ecuyer, Brianna Stefano, Catherine Fullerton, Charles McKeon, Crystal Blake, Danielle Perry, Esteban Sanchez, Gayatree Hazarika, Hadiya Alexander, Isaak Kifle, Jasmin Portelinha, Jeremiah Wright, Kelly Zhao, Kyle Pickard, Mark O’Loughlin, Nysia Ford, Rachael Gahner, Sandra Sinner, Sarah Sloane, Shaquasia Myrie, Solange Romkissoon, Stephen Shepherd, Tatiana Dominguez, Trevor McDewell, Tyler Burley, Tyler Eno, and Veronica Cruz.
