Post written by: Craig Dillaman

Ah, spring break, a time for students to relax and unwind; a chance to possibly go somewhere tropical or, at the very least, warm. This is the time of year when students are eager to experience something new and exciting. This did happen with a group of approximately 40 students this past break. You see, these students decided that instead of having the “traditional spring break” in Florida, Cancun, or another tropical destination they were going to go on an “alternative spring break” with the Habitat for Humanity Organization.

The alternative spring break experience is unique because it offers a chance for students with no prior building experience a chance to learn and appreciate what it takes to build a house. These students worked in various stages of residential construction while helping families establish a real (possibly first) home. Some tasks completed by the groups this year included framing, roofing, putting siding up on a house and some general landscaping. The Habitat organization has at least one full-time construction manager onsite teaching the students these tasks and making sure that they complete them successfully.

The SUNY Cortland Habitat for Humanity Club visited three sites in North Carolina this year. These were in the Aberdeen, Concord and Newland communities. The students left on Friday afternoon, March 7th, and traveled to Arlington, VA. On Saturday they got to go into Washington DC to do some site seeing. On Sunday morning the groups left for their respective sites and started work on Monday morning. The groups returned to Arlington the following Friday evening and arrived back in Cortland on Saturday, March 15th, 2008.

A lot can be said for the students who participated on this trip. The first is their commitment to serving others. One comment made during the trip this year was, “I never knew community service could be so much fun.” Another interesting observation was how the students wanted to spend their time in Washington DC. Of all the monuments, museums, and tourist locations in the greater DC area I found the participants going to some deep, thought- provoking places. These would be the Arlington National Cemetery and the National Holocaust Museum. To say that they learned something that day would be an understatement. One could tell that visiting these sites left a profound impression on them, one that will hopefully stay with them in the future.

All in all the respective trips were successful. New friends were made, a new beginning for a family was established, and a lot was learned and shared with each other. A challenge I gave my students when leaving the work site that last day was to reflect on what they learned that week about themselves and working with others and bring it back to campus. Some of these students may be in your classes, in a club that you belong to, or someone that lives in your hall. If you are interested in learning more about their experience strike up a conversation with them, I’m sure they would be happy to talk about their experience and let you know how you can get involved in the future.