SAINTS TRAVEL ACROSS AMERICA TO LEND A HAND

May 11, 2011

The coming of each year's Spring Break is often looked towards with near unparalleled anticipations by college students. While many flock to the sunny coast of Mexico or the Miami shoreline, others choose a different, less traversed path that seems to be growing in popularity each year.

The Alternative Spring Break at Emmanuel College brings students to different locations across the country in need of assistance. Students are called upon to help those less fortunate than themselves by interacting and engaging with members of various communities across America. This year's trip saw multiple groups of students, faculty and staff fly to locations in Arizona, South Dakota and West Virginia, bringing hope and happiness for those in need along with them.

Among those making the journey were four Emmanuel student-athletes looking to brighten the lives of others in the brief time away from their respective teams on campus. Senior Kristina Marik of the women's soccer and lacrosse team's and junior's Gregory Brown, Jordan Coulombe and Wesley Cowles of the men's track team returned to The Fenway following Spring Break with a renewed sense of self and an understanding of how a mere week in some of these locations can do wonders for a community.

Marik and Coulombe were paired on the same trip for the week, flying to a location that Emmanuel had not been placed before.

"We went to Eagle Butte, South Dakota and spent a week working with Native American children and teenagers who attended the Cheyenne River Youth Project," Marik said. "I worked primarily with the teenagers after school and spent my time playing sports with them along with various other activities, including yoga, poetry writing, and drawing."

The Eagle Butte community had specifically requested assistance working with children and their struggling families. The students participated in after school activities with the local kids at a youth center, ranging in age from 5-18 years old.

"As an education major, working with the kids was an awesome experience and really showed me that this is something I could do for the rest of my life," added Coulombe, regarding the time spent with the children.

Being around the kids was not all fun and play, as noted by Marik. Many must live with problems and issues that build a very unpleasant atmosphere.

"It wasn't easy to get close with these kids at first," she said, "but after a few days they were more willing to open up. Most have never left the reservation and will never leave it. Their lives are often filled with abandonment, abuse, drug problems, and lack of education."

Despite the continuous hardships facing the community, the team from Emmanuel helped the youths prepare for a huge event that the children look forward to each year.

"We spent our mornings preparing for their annual program called Passion for Fashion," Marik said. "The event allows girls the opportunity to be a part of a fashion show. They are able to attend a luncheon, pick out a prom dress, shoes and a bag, and get their hair, makeup, and nails done."

"The event is a huge confidence builder for the girls who, because of their culture, are very reserved. They really come out of their shells and shine for a night."

Over 1,300 miles east of South Dakota, another group from Emmanuel was staying with the Laughlin Memorial Chapel in Wheeling, West Virginia, renovating local houses and helping out in the after school program.

Cowles was one of those who made the trip to Wheeling, working to make a positive impact in the community, even if it was only for a short time.

"The trip was exciting, eventful, emotional, eye-opening, and tiring, but most of all, rewarding," he said. "Just knowing that our whole group was there, clearly making a positive impact of the community of Wheeling and really making a difference for both the young and old was an absolutely astonishing feeling."

In addition to the relationships built with the members of each community, the student-athletes also created lasting bonds with their fellow Emmanuel peers.

"What I'll remember most about this ASB trip will be the friendships and relationships that I formed," Coulombe said. "I was able to spend the week with an amazing group of student leaders, all of whom I'm not fortunate enough to call friends."

Cowles added to Coulombe's points, citing how important an upbeat group dynamic was to their trip.

"The thing I will remember most is how much it brought our small group together," he said. "In doing all of the community service and giving back, we all had at least one thing in common, and that really cemented a newly begun friendship between all of us that will last for the rest of our time at Emmanuel."

Seeking a career as a social worker, Marik saw the vast potential in her time spent on the trip and the reponse it could have on those in need.

"I wanted to gain a better understanding of the role I can play in the lives of others when being put in a situation where my help is both needed and desired," she said. "I wanted this experience to be a stepping stone for my future endeavors in the field of social services."

Coulombe added a very thought provoking statement in response to what he learned as a student at Emmanuel that he brought with him on his Alternative Spring Break.

"Personally I think one of the most important things I've learned during my time at Emmanuel is the concept of Social Justice," he said. "It is the idea that everyone deserves the necessities of life and that, as someone who's fortunate to have those things and more, I have a responsibility to help others."