by Leah Twilley

An initiative that began in 1991 by a handful of students who sought to spend their spring break giving back is celebrating a major milestone this year.

Alternative Breaks, the Grand Valley chapter of the national organization Break Away, turns 25. The group has evolved into a student-run, widespread civic engagement program that plans trips around the country during weekends and breaks in the winter, spring and summer. The trips focus on social issues, including community health, affordable housing, animal rights, and youth and poverty.

The student organization was established in 1991 when the Office of Student Life initiated volunteer opportunities for students under the umbrella Volunteer GVSU. The group was overseen by Jay Cooper, then associate director of Student Life and now associate professor of education.

The first Alternative Breaks trip was in 1992 at Cabrini Green, a public housing project located on the north side of Chicago. Students performed duties such as cleaning and making repairs. They also interacted with residents, which was an important part of the trip, said Cooper.

“The whole point of the initiative was to provide an opportunity for students to immerse themselves in an area, serve the local community and reflect on their experience, and that’s exactly what they did,” he said.

The influence of the trips goes beyond the organizations that students touch.

Ashley Engstrom, a native of Eaton Rapids, was involved in Alternative Breaks first as a member and then as president in 2007. She said her first AB trip to Fries, a rural town in southern Virginia, had such a tremendous impact on her that she changed her major.

“I found a passion for education, so I decided to change my major because I needed to be in a profession where I could practice service and teach every day,” said Engstrom.

The group spent two days at the town’s elementary school, cleaning and interacting with the students.

“I remember eating lunch with the kids and seeing how excited they were to have us cleaning up and painting their school. Throughout the week I realized that I couldn’t work a desk job. I needed to be interacting with people and kids daily,” she said. “I quickly found that
Alternative Breaks is just as beneficial for the student serving as it is for the organization receiving.”

During Engstrom’s involvement, the group expanded and added weekend and winter break trips. “We had big visions nearly 10 years ago — more trips and more participants,” she said.

This year’s outgoing president, Danielle Tanner, helped coordinate 24 trips for more than 230 members during the 2015-2016 academic year. The international relations and pre-medical studies alumna said she initially joined Alternative Breaks to volunteer more, but soon realized the organization is much more than that.

“Alternative Breaks is about seeing the impact you can have in the world. It changed the way I view the world and helped me determine what I want to do with my life,” said Tanner, a native of White Pigeon.

Tanner graduated in April and will attend medical school at Central Michigan University in the fall. She said her favorite Alternative Breaks experience was volunteering at Hungry Mother State Park in Virginia.

“Our focus was on park preservation and maintaining the space,” she said. “Even though the work was challenging and rewarding, what really made this trip was the people. Every single student who went on this trip was inspirational.”

Valerie Guzman, associate director of student life, served as the group’s advisor from 2008-2015. She said students often become interested in Alternative Breaks because they want to meet new people, volunteer and travel.

“Alternative Breaks provides students with all of those opportunities but with a more significant impact,” she said. “They often create lifetime friendships and connections, deepen their understanding of our society and learn the importance of making the community a priority in their values and life. It is our hope that students will grow into active citizens through their experience with Alternative Breaks.”