Beyond spring break: reaching underserved communities

     For many, spring break provides an opportunity to travel and have fun. For a few others, however, it’s also a way to serve different communities and make a difference.

     The Alternative Week of Learning Organization (AWOL) at the University of South Dakota is a service-based and student-led organization. There are many volunteer opportunities throughout the year, either during the weekends or during longer school breaks.

     This year, two groups from AWOL traveled down to volunteer in Houston, Texas, and Kansas City, Mo.  Although their service locations differed, both groups aimed to better understand the community’s needs and bring new perspectives back to campus.

     “The goal for them [participants] was to recognize how they go about their daily lives and how much harder it would be for someone with a disability to do the same tasks,” Piper Connelly, site leader for AWOL, said.

     Connelly led the Houston, Texas group, alongside Evan Payer. Their trip focused on disability awareness and accessibility. During their time there, they served at Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Houston Food Bank, Vita Living Center and did a cleanup at Galveston Beach.

     “What stood out to me the most was that some of the people were like ‘Oh my god, we don’t get visitors very often. We are so happy you are here,” Connelly said. “It’s just the fact that an hour of our time could make such an impact.”

     The impact, however, goes both ways. Every AWOL trip is student-led and site leaders work together to ensure the trip goes well. As Connelly reflected back on her experience, she couldn’t help but think of the future.

     “I feel when I graduate, I am going to be a lot better in my adult job because I’ve done this really hard thing now. It was a really great thing, really beautiful and I learned so much,” Connelly said.

     While the Houston group focused on disability access, the Kansas City team explored maternal and prenatal healthcare through different lenses.

     Brooklyn Rombough and Elizabeth Skroch led the team and volunteered in a wide range of places. In their six days, they served at True Light Family Resource Center, Children’s Mercy, Singles Mom KC, Rose Brooks and Mother’s Refuge.

     “What really impacts me is how little we have for maternal and prenatal healthcare in rural areas,” Rombough said.

     While helping out, members of the group made lunches and kits with stuffed animals and cards at Children’s Mercy. They also helped organize and clean the basement of Rose Brooks, a domestic violence shelter.

     “They kept thanking us,” Rombough said. “We could hear them talking about how great it looked and how much easier it would be to grab stuff and how quick we got it done. I was just like, wow, we really did that.” 

     There are many places that help communities, but they also need support to operate smoothly. Volunteering at multiple locations and gaining an immersive experience prompted some reflection within the group.

     “[Ending the trip at Mother’s Refuge] really tied everything up,” Skroch said. “We’ve been seeing all of these different ways that mothers are helped, but also how much is needed.” 

     The trip served its purpose and provided a deeper understanding of maternal healthcare. While thinking of what they have learned as site leaders, many things came to mind.

     “I learned you certainly have to embrace the spontaneity,” Skroch said. ”Things aren’t always going to go your way.” 

     “There is a lot more commitment involved and it’s a lot of responsibility,” Rombough said. “That being said, I think it’s probably going to be the best experience I will ever have in college.” 

     Both groups came back to campus ready to share and apply what they had learned. When asked how they would describe their trip, site leaders took some time trying to concisely put their experience in one sentence.

     “I will say fulfilling,” Skroch said.

     “Absolutely cuckoo crazy, but fun,” Connelly said.

     While spring break is often seen as a time for rest, these AWOL students chose to engage with communities in Houston and Kansas City, hoping to learn about different topics through experience. Disability awareness, maternal healthcare, food insecurity and shelter are all complex issues, but as they learned, it all begins with a simple action, being present.