Serve Akron is giving students the opportunity to go out for spring break and enjoy some warm weather destinations while doing good for the communities they visit. It’s a program called “Alternative Spring Break,” and along with covering travel expenses they will cover food, lodging, and activities.

Students who are attending had to take two training courses before their trip.

The destinations include Winder, Georgia; Marion, South Carolina; Manteo, North Carolina, and an Akron option that had a discounted price. The trips range from 3 to 5 days and allows students to meet new people with similar interests.

UA student Bethany Fisher is participating in the alternative break in Georgia. Involved in her sorority’s philanthropy chair, Fisher said, “I wanted to be an example for all of the other women in my chapter. I really like to volunteer and help people a lot.”

The out of state trips cost $300, and covers most expenses including food and lodging, while the Akron trip only costs $75. However, the value of this trip goes beyond good food and good times. The real payout comes in the form of an experience in building group awareness and achieving goals. These events help students realize what it means to be proud of a community.

Fisher is also looking forward to being able to help the children at this camp. “I guess the choice was really easy once I realized it didn’t cost as much as I had thought it was going to. Mainly just being able to help people and do something good with my time,” Fisher said.

Alternative Spring Break trips, held during the week of spring break, are designed to raise awareness of social issues and injustices through educational and volunteer focused opportunities.

Teams of students ranging from 10-50 will be grouped together and assigned to a service opportunity that has been organized through Civic Engagement Programs.

The students who signed up will leave next week and embark on the service projects they signed up for. The sign-up deadline has passed, but more information on the Alternative Spring Break and the application process can be found at http://www.uakron.edu/asb/.