2019 Alternative Spring Break

Service trip at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Foundation in Jacksonville

During my time at Santa Fe College, I had the opportunity to be engaged in many activities and the most remarkable of all was the 2019 Alternative Spring Break. Lutheran Social Services is located in Jacksonville, Florida. It serves children and families, youth and teens, adults and elderly, refugees and immigrants, and victims of natural disasters through various programs ranging from substance abuse and mental health to education.

A group of students volunteer during spring break 2019 in the Lutheran Social Services. It was a life-changing experience. We helped building the furniture for the houses of incoming refugees, we provided tutoring to kids that are adapting to the American school system, and we restock and serve food through a program that works as a food pantry for those in need. We finished the trip with a goodbye dinner. This opportunity to volunteer was on my birthday and I couldn't think of no better present than the smiling faces of those impacted by our work.

The volunteer trip helped me to shape my global perspective, and I felt very comfortable working with different cultures, religions, and ethnicity.