Over Spring Break, 51 students went on Alternative Spring Break trips to volunteer in various capacities. Three groups traveled to Virginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina to work with Habitat for Humanity. One group traveled to West Virginia for an environmental trip focusing on river clean up, and another traveled to Maryland for a community outreach trip focused on organizations that work with children. This year was the 25th anniversary of Alternative Spring Break trips, and were lead by AXB (formerly known as Alternative Spring Break), which now organizes alternative break trips during winter and fall breaks as well.
These trips allow Hamilton students to spend their break in ways that gives back to communities around the country. Sabrina Gattine ’18, the coordinator of the AXB trips, describes the importance of this work, saying: “Many of us get wrapped up in our own worlds and forget to recognize the hardships that communities are experiencing just a van ride away. AXB gives students an opportunity to experience a different way of life and get a new perspective. Students who choose to spend a week of their break on AXB gain new skills, new friendships, and provide greatly needed manpower for organizations trying to improve their community.”
Maggie Horne ’19 co-led the Maryland trip. Last year, she decided to become involved in AXB as a leader because she says the trip she went on her first year to the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. “[It] transformed my first-year year and was a huge reason why I decided to continue my education at Hamilton,” she said.
Horne adds that her trip this year was different from previous trips because it was not environmentally focused. “It was a cool experience to do a different type of service,” she says. “This year was also different in a unique way. Because we were urban-based, the Hamilton Baltimore Alumni Group reached out to set up a meal with our trip to get to know more about what we were doing in the area.”
Continuing, she says: “It was cool to hear about their Hamilton experience to see how things have changed and to let them know more about AXB as a program. All in all, the highlights of the trip for me were working directly with members of the community and getting to know Hamilton students I otherwise wouldn’t have met here on the Hill.”
AXB trips allow students an opportunity to spend one week of their break serving others and connecting with the Hamilton community while exploring new places, and learning valuable new skills that help them contribute more back on campus.
Gattine emphasizes the importance of these trips. “I am always amazed by the people we have the opportunity to meet on these trips, both from the Hamilton student body and the various organizations that we spend a week working for, whether that is a familiar face that you always pass on Martin’s Way or an 82-year-old construction worker who has an unbelievable wealth of stories,” she says. “In short, AXB is an unforgettable experience filled with amazing people who want to help make a change.”
