Service, not Sunny Beaches, for These Spring Breakers : Spotlight on Simmons : Simmons College

Simmons students in front of Habitat for Humanity House in Salem County, NJ.

While many college students spent spring break relaxing on the beach, a group of 20 Simmons students were hard at work in mid-March in Salem County, NJ, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. This year's Alternative Spring Break project was an abandoned, 150-year-old Victorian home that was donated to Habitat by the owner's family. The Simmons students helped to refurbish the dilapidated home, which, when completed, will be a modernized four-bedroom home for a single mother and her six children. The students not only painted, hung siding and drywall, and prepared meals for each other, but also raised the funds that enabled them to participate in this service opportunity.

"Through this experience, students learn about the true value of 'home'," said Jennifer Mckee, director of service learning at the Simmons College Scott/Ross Center for Community Service, which organizes the annual trip. "They also learn about their strengths as Simmons women, and the gifts they bring to others, by facing and overcoming challenges together."

Below are photos and some of the students' own thoughts about their experience:

Hannah Desrochers, a freshman, refurbishing parts of staircase trim

"For me, Alternative Spring Break is a microcosm of what Simmons represents: dedication, justice, service, passion, heart, and teamwork. To experience all of that and more in one intense week can only be described as a powerful and life-altering experience. I do not want to spend my break doing anything else but this." —Sophomore Leora Rifkin

Sophomore Leora Rifkin drills foilboard

Junior Nichole Iannone digs a hole for Habitat for Humanity sign

"Now that I am back, I feel so fulfilled. I have a better sense of self, I feel like I made a difference about an issue that I care deeply about, and I have some new, incredible friends that I know I can rely on." —Junior Jacqui Lantagne

"The team's enthusiasm and love for one another, drove us all to go above and beyond what we thought ourselves capable, whether it was a team member conquering her fear of heights or another becoming able to share past experiences in group reflection. Alternative Spring Break is as much about building a team as it is about building a house." — Freshman Samantha Furbush

Samantha Furbush, a freshman, shows her handy painting work

Graduate student Elizabeth Nyante cuts foilboard on the porch roof before nailing up outside board

"The progress that was made between day one and the last day of our trip still amazes me. It was so refreshing to see everyone cooperating and helping each other work toward the same goal - converting a once-disheveled building into a comforting home for a family in need." —Senior Hillary Dearborn

Students nailing in siding

Students taking a quick lunch break

"It made me realize that what you are doing or not doing has an impact on someone else's life somewhere. I came to grasp how one person can impact many others." — Leora Rifkin

Junior MJ Craig in the Habitat house

» Service, not Sunny Beaches, for These Spring Breakers

Service, not Sunny Beaches, for These Spring Breakers

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