Bay State Students Collaborate with Break A Difference for Trip to Washington D.C. and Share Their Alternate Spring Break Highlights
Written by Zachary Tripsas, Graduate Assistant for Student Affairs
From March 12th through March 18th, 2017, three Bay State students traveled to Washington D.C. to volunteer for the Greater Washington Boys & Girls Club with other students from around the country to serve children in underprivileged communities and complete other service activities in the D.C. area.
Samantha Metcalf, William Patton, and Lydia Laroque, joined by Zachary Tripsas, the Graduate Assistant for Student Affairs, traveled about 10 hours each way from Boston to Clubhouse #14 in Washington D.C. Through the non-profit organization, Break A Difference, which hosts a number of Alternate Spring Breaks (ASBs) around the country, these students were able to meet and work in collaboration with about 40 students from many different colleges around the country, including Quinnipiac University, University of South Florida: St. Petersburg, and University of North Carolina: Chapel Hill. Everyone came together to help out in the Boys and Girls Club and serve for many different non-profit organizations while down there. It was an unforgettable week full of amazing service and memory making. Upon arrival back from their break, the students were given a brief survey to talk about their experience. Here's what they said:
Please give a brief summary of your trip:
"I got to spend my Spring break giving back to the D.C. community by spending afternoons with the kids of a Boys & Girls Club. Then during the days I got to take part in various service activities, such as working with American Red Cross or going to a local elementary school and bagging fresh produce and canned goods for the kids to bring home to their families. I loved that I got to make a difference to, at least, one person."
"During ASB 2017 we served at a local Boys & Girls Club in the greater D.C. area. Every day we participated in campus giveback as well as hanging out with the kiddo's including helping them with homework, playing, activities, etc. We also did some other service projects dealing with hunger and homelessness throughout the week."
What was the 'high' of your trip?:
"Other than getting to make great relationships with other students from various schools, I really liked doing the college fair [at the Boys & Girls Club] and seeing how engaged the kids were. They all seemed really interested in going to college and I'm glad we got to answer any questions they might have. Also, hearing that they found the panel fun was nice to hear too."
"Seeing everybody from all over the country bond so well."
Other comments:
"ASB is always the highlight of my year."
"This is one of the best experiences I have ever had and would love to do this again! I think the word needs to be spread about this program so more people are informed of what Break a Difference is all about and why its important to take part!"
As you can tell, ASB was an amazing experience for this group of students and we look forward to taking students on many more in the future. For more information on how to get involved with Alternate Spring Break, please contact Zachary Tripsas at ztripsas@baystate.edu or Kristin Staine, Assistant Director of Student Involvement & Leadership at kstaine@baystate.edu.