Alternative Spring Break, also known as ASB, is offered by the Thayne Center as an alternative way students can spend their spring break.
While some students are catching up with homework and sleep and others are partying it out, these small groups of people are volunteering.
The students who go on the ASB trips sign a contract in which they agree that they are not going to have any alcohol, smoke or do any types of drugs.
One of the groups got the opportunity to go to Kanab, Utah this year and volunteer on an animal sanctuary. The other group had the opportunity to go and volunteer in San Diego, California.
The San Diego ASB group, which I had the opportunity to be a part of with my sister Diana, did different kinds of work that ranged from cleaning the beach to removing graffiti at a national park to restoring a trail.
Restoring the trail was not an easy task. We had to dig for dirt and fill up bags three quarters full. We then had to take the bags down the trail and stack them up and adjust so the bags would end up laying flat. After all the bags were put on the trail, more dirt had to be piled over the bio-degradable bags so the trail would be evened out and bikers and hikers could enjoy the trail once again.
“Restoring the trail was definitely one of the hardest things we did during the trip, but after seeing all the work that we did, was worth it,” my sister told me.
Cleaning the beach was not an easy task either. Picking up trash such as bottles, Styrofoam and cigarette butts so the seagulls wouldn’t eat them and so that the tide would not take them and affect the marine life was a tough task.
We not only learned about San Diego while we were there, but we brought our knowledge back with us and found out that San Diego and SLCC have a lot of things in common.
“I learned that the most common piece of trash on the beaches are cigarette butts which, as I look around our College and our community, I see as a major problem as well,” said Billy Walker.
The Alternative Spring Break was not only to volunteer but it was also to get to know others and many of the people who went said that if they had the opportunity to do it all over again they would.
Whether the students went on the trip with having fun in mind or to volunteer, they all had the opportunity to do both.
