Alternative Break Trips
Join the trend and do something meaningful over your fall or spring break! The Alternative Break program has existed as part of Catholic Campus Ministry for several years and has grown greatly in the past few years. An Alternative Spring Break, or ASB, is a weeklong traveling, community living, and service providing trip offered as an "alternative" way of spending your spring break. Every year, CCM offers these opportunities to Elon students who want to give up a week off in order to serve the poor, the sick, and the underprivileged during Spring Break. CCM also offers a shorter trip during the fall for Alternative Fall Break, or AFB.
Spirituality, prayer, and reflection are an important aspect of each trip. With the time taken to reflect on the work the group has done as a whole, a greater appreciation is had for why these trips exist. God calls all of us to love and serve one another and to do justice. Catholic Campus Ministry is also called to develop leaders for the future of the Church and society. Elon CCM wants to give students the opportunity to experience life in a different culture, acquire a perspective on the global economy, gain a meaningful understanding of the universal Church, and serve all of God's children. Through these trips, CCM aims to instill in students a sense of social responsibility, leadership, and life-long service.
Alternative Spring Break
Elon Spring Break: March 23 - April 1, 2013
Where: Johns Island, SC (Charleston)
When: Sunday, March 24 - Friday, March 29/Saturday, March 30
Focus: Affordable Housing
Cost: $250 per student
Make a difference over your Fall Break! CCM will travel to Johns Island, SC, south of Charleston, this year to work with Habitat for Humanity's Collegiate Challenge. Many of the residents we will serve currently live in conditions that people think no longer exist in the United States. There are those with no running water, heat, or floors in their homes. Our Alternative Spring Break trips are very rewarding and eye-opening experiences for all students who attend. Students will also receive a day off to enjoy Charleston and the nearby beaches.
The trip will have a cost of $250 per student, which covers all travel, lodging, and most meal costs. Click here for to apply for the trip. Applications are due by Wednesday, December 5th. Please contact Dan Glass with any questions.
Previous trips:
2012:
Mérida, México (Focus: Mission Work, Cultural Immersion) -
CCM ventured on its second international mission trip, this time to the city of Mérida, México. Mérida is the largest city in the Méxican state of Yucatán on the Yucatán Peninsula. The city has a visible distinction between wealthy and poor. The CCM group served at Ciudad Vicentina, a home for abandoned adults with physical and mental disabilities. The students cleaned graffiti off the walls and interacted with many of the residents. They also had a chance to visit a Mayan village and experience first-hand the Mayan culture, a civilization now largely oppressed.
Johns Island, SC (Focus: Affordable Housing) -
CCM traveled to Johns Island, SC, south of Charleston, to work with Habitat for Humanity's Collegiate Challenge. Many of the residents that the students served live in conditions that people think no longer exist in the United States. There are those with no running water, heat, or floors in their homes. Students worked on a Habitat House Tuesday-Friday, alongside the family that would be living in the house.
2011:
Above Rocks, Jamaica (Focus: Mission Work, Poverty) -
CCM traveled on an international ASB to Above Rocks, Jamaica, a town slightly northwest of Kingston. St. Mary's Catholic Church is a parish run by the Conventual Franciscan Friars, the order to which Fr. Gerry belongs. Here, CCM participated in the life of the parish and the mission beginning each day with Mass and ending each evening with common reflection. The morning was set aside to work with children at the school, and the afternoon for painting and building projects. They had an opportunity to experience Jamaican culture and help serve God's children.
Jacksonville, FL (Focus: Affordable Housing, Urban Ministry) -
Jacksonville is the largest city in Florida in both population and land area. The number of families living below the poverty line is higher than the national average, so there was much needed work to be done. CCM partnered with First Presbyterian Church in "The Plunge," a program offered through their urban missions outreach. Students worked at Second Harvest food bank, the Salvation army, a Habitat construction site, Habitat ReStore, and a domestic violence shelter.
Alternative Fall Break
Elon Fall Break: October 12-16, 2012
Where: Wilmington, NC
When: Friday, October 12th - Tuesday, October 16th
(will depart Friday around 4pm)
Focus: Hunger and Poverty
Cost: $125
Make a difference over your Fall Break! Come with CCM on this year's Alternative Fall Break to Wilmington, NC. We will stay at the UNC-W Newman Center and work with several service organizations, including St. Mary Catholic Church's social outreach program, Good Shepherd soup kitchen, and Habitat ReStore. The trip will be from Friday, Oct. 2th to Tuesday, Oct. 16th, and the cost will be $125, which covers travel, programming, and food. Please contact Dan Glass with any questions.
Previous trips:
2011:
Washington, DC (Focus: Hunger and Homelessness) -
CCM went up to our nation's capital in Washington, DC, for this year's Alternative Fall Break service trip, with a focus on hunger and homelessness. Students stayed at The Pilgrimage and served at a variety of organizations, including Capital Area Food Bank, So Others Might Eat, Thrive DC, and DC Central Kitchen. They also got together and shared dinners with the Catholic ministries and Georgetown University and George Washington University.
2010:
Baltimore, MD (Focus: Affordable Housing, Urban Ministry) -
CCM traveled on their first Alternative Fall Break Service trip to Baltimore, Maryland. Students served at a Habitat for Humanity Build, two homeless shelters, and a Boys & Girls Club. Read about the students' experiences in the article printed in our newsletter and in their reflections written during the trip.