Many students will participate in alternative spring break service trips to Bay St. Louis, Miss., The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center in Highlands, N.C., the Dominican Republic and Honduras next week.

Student leaders proposed and planned all of the trips.

This is one of the greatest leadership opportunities we offer because the students are completely in charge, said Mary Morrison, director of the Kernodle Center for Service Learning.

Freshman Kristine Silvestri will lead 20 students on Elons seventh Katrina relief trip to Bay St. Louis, Miss. Silvestri went on the fall break trip to Bay St. Louis and felt the need to return with more volunteers.

I realized its important to inspire others to work with you. You can only do so much by yourself, Silvestri said.

The Highlands, N.C., trip at The Mountain will include cleaning trails, working with the humane society and Habitat for Humanity and doing a special project with the center.

Trip leader sophomore Chrissy Orangio went to The Mountain in August for Service Learning Mentor training and had an experience she wanted to share with other students.

I wanted there to be an environmental service trip, Orangio said. Hopefully that will become a permanent thing, whether its at The Mountain or somewhere else.

Honduras trip leader sophomore Jordan Cobb spent time working with Pronino, an organization that helps children living on the streets in Honduras, this summer. Cobb hopes to establish a relationship between Pronino and Elon through this service trip.

We are bringing down several suitcases of school supplies, arts and crafts projects, sports equipment, games and clothing to donate to the organization, she said.

The Dominican Republic trip will be the Kernodle Centers second to that area to work with Habitat for Humanity. Sophomore Chris Ford, a leader for the trip, went last year and wanted to give this years participants the same opportunities he had.

The group is serious about helping to change the problem that is global poverty. While we cant change it in one week, were setting an example for so many people who may see it and want to do it too, Ford said.

Even though people look at this as giving up spring break, the students are having a lot of fun. Its a growing movement on college campuses everywhere, said Kathleen Edwards, assistant director of the Kernodle Center for Service Learning.

News Editor: Kaitlin Ugolik - 03/15/07