Saturday, December 6, 2008

One of My Favorites!



The Campus YMCA's are across the country. We all offer something different, but we all have one program in common. Alternative Spring Break (ASB).

ASB, is when a group of students go to a place where there is need in some way. We don't have a particular place that we go every year. When LU's Campus YMCA first started their trip for several years was going to Mississippi and working doing hurricane Katrina relief. For two years the Campus Y went not during Spring Break but during J-term.


In the spring of 2008 LU's Campus Y took 10 volunteers to the Lake of the Ozarks, right here in Missouri. Many people don't think of the lake as being a place in need, but when it is not a tourist season the city is really different.


The volunteers slept on the floor of a local church that hosted them during their week stay. The group worked doing lake clean up, trash clean up in local areas, and also did yard work for some elderly members of the church. When the group wasn't cleaning, they helped with youth activities at the church as a mentoring program.

In the Spring of 2009, LU will take six volunteers to Cincinnati, OH for spring break. While there the group will work with an organization that helps with poverty and homelessness in the Cincinnati area.

The YMCA tries to make these trips affordable to all students. A majority of the Campus YMCA fundraisers go toward the ASB. This helps pay for fees, gas, insurance, etc.

The next LU Campus YMCA fundraiser, will be on Wednesday December 17th. The Campus YMCA will provide a lunch of donated foods from local restaurants for the LU staff since the cafe will be closed.

1 comment:

Jennifer said...

I think it is amazing that you do so much volunteer work!