Alternative break gives Wayne State students opportunity to volunteer during time off
(CBS DETROIT) - There are many ways to celebrate spring break when you are a college student. While many may be heading to a beach in the southern states or heading back home to be with mom and dad, many others are spending theirs an alternative way.
"Instead of just doing a normal spring break, relaxing and whatnot, we all took an initiative, to go ahead and volunteer our time," says Kennedy Taylor, a Wayne State University student volunteer in his first alternative spring break.
Every day during the program, the students venture to different nonprofits across Detroit to give back to the city in the form of volunteering.
"It's a blessing to have them participate," says SaTrice Coleman-Betts, executive director of St. Patrick Senior Center.
The organization is one of the stops for the students this week. Coleman-Betts says the elderly citizens in the area are receiving some much-needed supply kits thanks to the students.
Brandon Shamoun, assistant director of student involvement at WSU, says the alternative spring break program is now in its 20th year.
Aside from helping out the community, the students get their education in, and he's hoping they take the skills with them after graduation.
"Giving back to Detroit has really engrained us for the past 20 years to have almost 600 students participate in the program year after year," Shamoun said.
The students are making stops at Class Act Detroit, Manistique Community Tree House, Women of Banglatown, Sanctuary Farms, and the Heidelberg Project.