Trip leaders turn service into memories

A group of Central Michigan University students bonded while volunteering for two organizations during an Alternative Breaks trip to Boston.

Nine students packed food for a Boston food pantry and organized clothing for a community outreach organization traveled for a week in December.

Grace Curtis, a psychology major and dance and childhood development minor, led the weeklong trip in December with Julia Moore, a double major in law and economics and communication, a minor in legal studies.

“We spent two days in the Greater Boston Food Pantry and the other two days in Cradles to Crayons,” Moore said. “We got to pack meal boxes on the first day at Greater Boston Food Pantry and then packed boxes for senior citizens on the second day.”

At Cradles to Crayons, the students cleaned and sorted donated clothing and footwear. The work helped them understand how to take items that arrived in bulk and separate them for people who needed them.

“You see some interesting things while sorting clothes by size one day or cleaning shoes to make them as brand new as possible,” Curtis said. “We did this every day and got better at what we were doing because we knew what they were looking for in the next step.”

Along with organizing clothes and shoes at Cradles to Crayons, volunteers also went shopping in the warehouse for different orders submitted by an advocate or sponsor of the child, such as school staff or another adult. Kids would then receive their specific order, like a pair of size 12 kids’ boots, from their advocate.

“It was free for their kids,” Moore said. “Cradles to Crayon’s goal is that every time a kid gets an order, they have enough clothes to make it through a week of play, school and sleeping.

In addition to volunteering, Alternative Breaks has a community immersion aspect, meaning they get to engage with the community they’re helping serve, essentially.

“We went to the Harvard Museum of Natural History which was really cool,” Moore said. “We also went to the Snowport Holiday Market which was really awesome because it was all like local craft vendors.”

 “We visited local Boston businesses and walked around downtown in the city,” Curtis said.

A big part of an alternative trip is forming bonds with the other students.

“We played lots of card games at the hotel, like SkipBo and made food almost every night,” Moore said. “It’s a big part of alternative breaks, you bond a lot when you’re all sleeping in the same room, cooking together, spending time in the same car and other activities,” Curtis said.

“Aiden would run every night and Grace and I would sit in the gym and bounce on yoga balls,” Moore said. “There has to be a site leader with a participant always, then they’re running.”

One of the most rewarding things about leading a trip is getting a glimpse into how community partner agencies benefit the communities they serve, Curtis said.

“There’s so much that goes into them,” Curtis said. “Being able to see a little sneak peek into a small part of their operation is incredible and learning about the communities they're helping.”

Moore loves watching the participants grow from the very first weekly meeting to the very last day they’re doing service, especially if it’s a participant’s last break.

“We always say, think back to where you were when you first came on an AB to where you are now,” Moore said. “Watching people go through that process and fall in love with the program that I love is so rewarding for me.”

This was the second time Moore and Curtis led a trip.

Both students continue to return as they can immerse themselves in different communities, even during a short period of time.

“We see so many different perspectives and communities,” Moore said. “I care about issues that I never would have even acknowledged before if I were not a part of alternative breaks. Bringing all those different perspectives and experiences, you can apply those skills to almost anything you want to do.”

Curtis loved learning about each person she met and will continue to build her social skills through traveling with alternative breaks in the future.

“Alternative Breaks is an awesome way to be around people, no matter what their background or experience is. I love getting to know and working with them,” she said. “Alternative Breaks quickly makes you a people person.”