Alternative Spring Break New Orleans 2014

New Orleans: A True Celebration of Community and Culture
By: Laura Williams

My Alternative Spring Break trip to New Orleans, Louisiana was an experience I will never forget. From the road trip there to the road trip back we had a packed week of service, learning, fun, and friends. Our first day there was Mardi Gras and we got to experience first hand this awesome celebration in the heart of it all. The city was alive and full of families, parades, awesome floats, and of course beads! It was an event I will never forget. 

The next day we started our service. The group went together to a local synagogue to help set up for the Limmud Fest, a discussion based learning conference that brings new perspectives and ideas to Jewish learning and the Jewish community of New Orleans. It was cool to explore their beautiful synagogue and connect to Jews from other parts of the nation, one even went to Tamarack Camps here in Michigan! We also have the opportunity to work with UNITY of Greater New Orleans, this organization supports community member deemed chronically homeless and places them into permanent housing. Our service included organizing boxes of supplies that would be given to participants in the permanent housing program. These packages help them begin the process of creating a space into a home and ensures a higher level of success in maintaining housing. We also handed out fliers to the community surrounding the organization asking for donations, it was a fun and meaningful organization to work with. 

My favorite of the organizations we worked with was Project Green Light. We went around the community and replaced old light bulbs with CFLs to help both the resident and the environment. This project was my favorite because we were really able to spend time with the people of New Orleans, hear their stories, and make real connections, all while helping the environment! In the evenings we would have great discussions where we Asked Big Questions. I learned a lot about New Orleans and the people that live there. I learned about the struggles they went through and how there was a lot more to the story than most of the nation believes. We talked about their community, our own community, and what the most appropriate ways we can lend a hand to others. The service was meaningful, the discussions were meaningful, and the time spent with old and new friends was truly unforgettable.

A special thanks to Repair the World for supporting our week of service.

East Lansing to New Orleans with TEVA

I recently traveled back from an Alternative Spring Break trip to New Orleans, Louisiana. We drove 17 hours down south in a car full of people I did not really know. I was equal parts nervous and excited, not knowing what to expect. Little did I know this was going to be an experience of a lifetime. As a dietetics major, I was ecstatic to work where our food comes from and integrate what I learned into my daily life. The first day of volunteering, we worked on an urban farm called Hollygrove Market. Not only did I enjoy the experience weeding, composting and gardening, but I learned so much to bring back and share. I learned about sustainability on a much deeper level and desired to practice what volunteering taught me. I plan to implement these concepts into my daily life. Not only did I learn about food at the garden, but the church we stayed at had wonderful chefs who prepared us gourmet meals using vegetables from Hollygrove Market. The chefs made us homemade Jambalaya the first night. I had never tasted anything like this! It was very awakening to see that they too were implementing composting and the use of fresh vegetables into their meals for everyone staying with us. The second day of work was a little more challenging. We volunteered at ARNO (Animal Rescue New Orleans). As an animal lover, I knew this was going to be difficult because I would want to adopt all the cute animals. At ARNO, they maintained a great environment for the animals, keeping them safe, healthy and clean. We sanitized the cages, food and water bowls and walked and played with the dogs. I saw how much work really goes into keeping the animals well nourished and happy. It was very sad to see how afraid of people some of the animals were. I’m used to seeing little kids run away from big dogs, but at ARNO it was the other way around. As we finished up there, we ran to the French Quarters of New Orleans and explored the city. This was my first time in NOLA and there was so much to see! From beignets, to magicians on the street, to live music everywhere, to the southern culture: the city was bumping! It was very cool to see all the love everyone had for this city. I too felt the love that night when we got to see the Grammy-winning band, Rebirth live. The brassy band lifted everyone’s spirits and helped us all connect to something important to New Orleans and ourselves- music. Music helped us introduce ourselves from the car ride on. We all learned a little from each other by our eclectic music libraries. Thanks to our friend Tony from the Magellan Community Garden, we also got to see George Clinton live at the House of Blues. This whole trip was an unbelievable experience with amazing people who were full of an undefined energy. We are all so fortunate to have been able to connect and relate so well to each other. This was my first spring break out of town in college and I look forward to experiencing new adventures for years to come. 

~Shayna Danto