Center for Community Engagement
Indiana State University
Tirey Hall 134A
Terre Haute, Indiana 47809
Phone: 812.237.2334
Fax: 812.237.2525
donna.isbell@indstate.edu
Indiana State University has participated in Alternative Spring Break each year
since 2004, sending Sycamores across the country to serve in projects ranging
from assisting international refugees to aiding in Hurricane Katrina Relief
work. Alternative Spring Break is a great opportunity for ISU students to
volunteer in the national community and serve those in need. Many students and
advisors return from the trips with different perspectives and describe their
experiences as “life changing."
2013 Sites
- Once Upon a Time, Maryville, Tennessee: Once Upon A Time in Appalachia's mission focuses on the Cherokee Nation, the environment, and rural Appalachia. Students participated in a variety of activities while in Maryville, some of which include trail maintenance and canning food.
- Appalachian South Folklife Center, Pipestem, WV: The students worked with one family assisting in home repair and yard work. Students also had the opportunity to learn about the history of the local community and the unique culture of the people who were raised in the Appalachian Mountains.
- Cumberland Trail Conference, Crossville, TN: Students had the opportunity to help create and build the Cumberland Scenic Trail, while learning about the historical, cultural, and natural resources of the Cumberland Plateau.
- Freedom Foundation, Selma, AL: While visiting Selma, ISU students had the opportunity to work with the youth program and help with community clean-up and painting projects. Our students took part in Non-Violence Training and learned more about the significance of Selma, Alabama for Civil Rights Movement.
2012 Sites
- Lexington, Kentucky: Mission Immersion works very closely with a
variety of agencies in the Lexington region; these agencies range their focus
from children, youth, families, homelessness, and poverty, among others. The
focus of this trip was on working with agencies who served individuals and
families living in poverty.
- Maryville, Tennessee: Once Upon A Time in Appalachia's mission
focuses on the Cherokee Nation, the environment, and rural Appalachia. Students
participated in a variety of activities while in Maryville, some of which
include trail maintenance and canning food.
- Haysi, Virginia: Working with the Southeast Rural Community
Assistance Project, ISU students interacted extensively with residents of Haysi
and created a billboard for the community.
- Atlanta, Georgia: While working with Refugee Family Services and
the International School of Atlanta, our students were able to focus on the
needs of children who are learning English as second language.
2011 Sites
The 2011 trip was our eighth year to send a group of students on an Alternative
Spring Break trip. Each trip served a unique population in a distinctive part of
the United States.
- New Orleans, LA: The Katrina’s Kids program provided
opportunities for ISU volunteers to work with children who survived Hurricane
Katrina and other children living in poverty.
- Pensacola, Florida: In collaboration with the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection, the Environmental Protection Agency, and
other environmental groups, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration and Community
Service Project provided opportunities for volunteers to serve in areas affected
by the massive oil spill of 2010. Beach clean-up and wetland restoration were
two of the projects in which ISU students participated.
- Haysi, Virginia: Working with the Southeast Rural
Community Assistance Project, ISU students interacted extensively with residents
of Haysi, painted areas in the town and participated in river clean-up
activities.
2010 Sites
- Kansas City, Missouri: Working with Operation
Breakthrough, Sycamores served children in poverty by facilitating educational
projects.
- Memphis, Tennessee: ISU students worked with Metropolitan
Inter-Faith Association (MIFA) by participating in projects that supported the
independence of seniors, transformed families in crisis, and equipped urban
teens for success.
- Maryville, Tennessee: Once Upon A Time in Appalachia's mission
focuses on the Cherokee Nation, the environment, and rural Appalachia. Students
participated in a variety of activities while in Maryville, some of which
include trail maintenance and canning food.
2009 Sites
- Memphis, Tennessee: ISU teamed up with the Metropolitan
Inter-Faith Association (MIFA) to help facilitate programs addressing specific
needs within the community, such as transitional housing for homeless families,
nutrition, and job opportunities for teens.
- Atlanta, Georgia: While working with Refugee Family Services, our students were able to focus on the
needs of at-risk women and children.
2008 Sites
- Gulfport, Mississippi: For the second year in a row, ISU students worked
with children in an after-school program and assisted with English as a second
language classes. Other students assisted with the recovery efforts from
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
2006 and 2007 Sites
- Gulfport, Mississippi: Our students worked with children in an
after-school program and assisted with English as a second language classes.
- Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi: ISU students worked with local
agencies to assist communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Preparation for
the trip included, learning more about the Gulf coast region, the damage caused
by the storm, the relief work that had been done, and the type of recovery work
that was still needed. Participants also worked one day in Enterprise, Alabama
to assist with clean-up following a powerful tornado that had destroyed homes
and taken lives just a week before ASB.
- Elkhart, Indiana: Hope Crisis Response Network is a nonprofit
organization dedicated to assisting communities who have been impacted by all
types of disasters. The ISU team assisted with demolition, clean-up, new
construction, and other activities help to rebuild the community.
2004 and 2005 Sites
- Jackson, Mississippi: Mission First, a large not-for-profit organization
that works with a variety of social and philanthropic initiatives in and around
the community, facilitated service projects for ISU students volunteering in the
area.
