Spring Break can be the most fun or the most boring week of a college student’s experience. Alternative Spring Break can make it a productive one.
Alternative Spring Break is a project that universities across the country host, allowing college students to take part in various community services.
UTRGV Student Involvement has been sponsoring Alternative Spring Break since the institution began, a program it inherited from legacy institutions University of Texas Pan American and University of Texas at Brownsville.
Raul Leal, UTRGV program coordinator for Leadership and Social Change, said this project makes sure students learn the importance of giving back to the community.
“The project is a really beneficial way for students to get back to the community and to really learn a little about their own potential and skills in a unique way,” Leal said.
Leal is finalizing the details along with his counterpart in Brownsville regarding the different community service sites.
“We are reaching out to the Rio Grande Valley Food Bank and several other agencies across the RGV to make sure that we have various opportunities for our students to participate with,” he said.
The program will provide housing, transportation and meals to participants.
Students will stay on campus and be taken to different service locations either on or off campus.
“There’s an educational component that is tied to each of the service opportunities, so we want the students not only draw something about giving back to the community but also the impact that the giving back has,” Leal said.
Last year, the group volunteered with the Rio Grande Food Bank. The students sorted various donated foods into bags to be given to families in need. The group also made shoes by cutting up old jeans and milk cartons for children in Uganda.
Students also made pillow covers for a nonprofit agency that works with children in intensive care units and also worked with the UTRGV Food Pantry. The students helped by removing weeds and planting different vegetables and fruits in the community garden.
Reyna Chavez, a senior majoring in environmental science, participated in last year’s Alternative Spring Break. She enjoyed her experience with the project and looks forward to signing up again rather than lying around the house and binge-watching TV.
“It’s a really good experience to do community service and give back to the community,” Chavez said. “And it’s a great way to meet people, socialize with your peers.”
One of her favorite activities from last year was decorating pillows for hospitalized children, but what impacted her the most was writing letters to veterans.
“It made me realize that people forget about [the veterans]. It’s just so good to show my appreciation worded in a letter to a veteran,” Chavez said.
The Student Involvement Alternative Spring Break is looking to accept 12 UTRGV students. The community service is a four-day event starting March 13 and ending March 16.
Students may register for Alternative Spring Break on the Student Involvement V-Link page. For more information, call 665-2660.
