KU students travel to Oklahoma, Colorado for Winter Alternative Breaks

LAWRENCE — This January, University of Kansas students spent their last week of winter break traveling and volunteering with Alternative Breaks. Established in 1995, KU Alternative Breaks is a student organization that “provides immersive volunteer experiences that educate students and foster a lifelong commitment to service.”  

Six students travelled to Edmond, Oklahoma, to serve with the HOPE Center of Edmond, an organization that serves as the central social service agency for the community. Student volunteers primarily processed and sorted donations for the HOPE Center’s free community clothing closet and their resale store HOPEfully Yours, from which all proceeds are used to fund the center’s health clinic and purchase staple food items for families. The students also explored the city of Edmond during their free time. The HOPE Center is a new KU AB partner site as of this year.  

"AB is such a unique opportunity to explore new places and organizations while making lifelong friends along the way," said Luca Osborn, a HOPE Center AB participant. "The work we did at the HOPE Center felt more like hanging out with friends than 35 hours of volunteering. The impact we made, though, could be felt immediately."

Ten students traveled to Westcliffe, Colorado to serve with Mission: Wolf, a solar-powered nature center that serves as a sanctuary for unwanted captive-born wolves and horses. Student volunteers assisted with facility/building upkeep, engaged directly with wolves and maintained enclosure spaces. The students hiked often and explored the town of Westcliffe in their free time. Mission: Wolf is a longtime KU AB partner.

“I came for the wolves, but the people were my favorite part. Working with Mission: Wolf staff and my fellow participants made the time pass too quickly, and I had so much fun getting to know them all. Our group of mostly strangers worked cohesively to overcome challenges and make the best of any situation," said Kassie Crotchett, a Mission: Wolf AB participant. "Mission: Wolf is a beautiful site that does important work as an educational wolf sanctuary, and I could not be more proud to have helped their facility with my friends.”

Alternative Breaks is a student-led program funded by Student Senate and is also often supported by university programs such as Hawk Link, the Center for Educational Opportunity Programs and more. To earn course credit for the break experience, AB participants have the option to enroll in UNIV 492, a special projects course taught by the Center for Service Learning.  

The deadline to apply for an Alternative Spring Break is Jan. 31. Learn more at the KU Alternative Breaks website.