Sneak Preview: Spring Break

Panama City.  Cancun.  Cabo San Lucas.  Bahamas. Miami.  Las Vegas.  These are typically the first spring break locations that pop into college students heads.  What about Raleigh, NC? Did anyone think of Raleigh? 

Raleigh, North Carolina is not typically on anyones top five most popular spring break trip locations.  And yet, we have five women's soccer players and our senior athletic training student heading there for spring break, March 28th-April 6th, 2015.  

Why, you ask?  They plan to help build affordable houses with the Habitat for Humanity Organization.  

Here's the short:  First Years Sophie Leininger, Hannah Sturtz, and Josie Mazzone, Sophomores Jana Elliott and Kendyl Landeck, along with Senior ATR student Angela Gewerth, will head to Raleigh, NC to build affordable housing, become immersed in a new community, think critically about the challenging experiences they encounter, and have meaningful discussions regarding issues of poverty across the country.  This Spring break trip is part of the Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge. 

What's the Habit for Humanity Collegiate Challenge? The Collegiate Challenge is one of Gustavus Habitat for Humanity's biggest successes each year by getting volunteers to spend their time in meaningful and rewarding ways while raising awareness on housing issues across the nation.  The Collegiate Challenge is almost a tradition for our women's soccer program, as back in 2012, Liz Underwood '14, Emily Papagapitos '14 and Lizzy Kroker '14, went to Pensacola, FL where they performed various home construction tasks such as roofing, painting, framing and putting up sheetrock. 

2012 Collegiate Challenge in Pensacola, FL with 3 Gustie Soccer Alums

Gustavus Habitat for Humanity: The purpose of Gustavus Habitat for Humanity is to work with both local and outside chapters, as well as within our own chapter, in an effort to build affordable housing for families in need.  Habitat for Humanity strives to meet the needs through building, fundraising, advocacy, educating and organizing consistent with their values of community, compassion, service, faith and teamwork.  Every spring break, Gustavus sends over 75 students to Habitat for Humanity affiliate sites to participate in the Collegiate Challenge, an alternative spring break program.

For more information about the Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge, check out this video: http://www.habitat.org/videogallery/video_upload/2009/cc_final2.wmv

Don't worry!  We will have a follow up post (with pictures, quotes and more) about their experience in Raleigh, NC, so make sure to check back in April.