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Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

Spring break service trips foster community, personal growth

A group of Marquette Students went on a 25 hour journey to Alamosa, Colorado, for nine days over spring break for a MAP trip. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Stone.

While many Marquette students were soaking up the rays in Cancun or hitting the slopes in Aspen, members of the Marquette Action Program were serving others on one of 18 service trips. MARDI GRAS, (Making a real difference in Gulf Region areas surrounding) members, too, were constructing houses and tutoring children in New Orleans.

The MAP trips crisscrossed the country, from Colorado to Iowa to Virginia. Students were given the opportunity to work with nonprofit organizations in areas facing high poverty levels, homelessness or the effects of natural disasters.

MAP trips include the element of nightly reflection, so groups can discuss the experiences they have encountered in these underprivileged areas.

MAP student coordinator Caitlin Cervenka, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said one or two facilitators who are chosen through an application process are trained to run the reflections.

“The experiences students are having in the poorest places in our country can be talked about and become meaningful on another level,” Cervenka said. “The participants walk away thinking about poverty and the other social issues they encounter in greater depth.”

Four new sites were added to broaden the options for students, said the Rev. Thomas Anderson, director of the program. Trips to Pennsylvania and Virginia national parks focused on environmental conservation as an important part of social justice. Sites in Maryland and Colorado were centered on urban and rural poverty, respectively.

“The goal was to get students thinking about how and why conservation is just as much of a social justice issue and is so inextricably linked to poverty,” Cervenka said.

Melissa Coate, a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences, participated in the service trip to Alamosa, Colo., another area MAP students had not previously visited. During her stay, she and other members worked with La Puente, a local nonprofit, to help improve the lives of the impoverished and homeless in the San Luis Valley.

“We cooked and served meals, gardened, helped run the garage sale at La Puente’s thrift store, worked with the kids and interacted with various members of the community, from volunteer workers to the guests of the shelter themselves,” Coate said.

The strong community atmosphere among those in the San Luis Valley was a powerful aspect of the trip for Coate. It was encouraging to see so many people devoted to bettering the conditions of those in the valley and the connectedness among all involved, she said.

“It is a common misconception that when on a service trip, you are the one offering the aid, the one performing the action of value. But this only portrays part of the story. I learned a lot and gained valuable insight from this trip, and it has altered me personally,” Coate said.

Because of the reflection aspect, students are able to process their thoughts in a safe space, adding to the impact of their experiences.

“For many students, this is the first time they experience devastating poverty in their own country – whether it be urban, rural, among children or among the physically disabled,” Cervenka said.

In New Orleans, members of MARDI GRAS participated in one of their four yearly service trips to the area over spring break. In the mornings, they worked on constructing and painting houses, and in the afternoon they tutored and played with local kids.

Matt Campbell, a junior in the College of Communication, has participated in multiple MARDI GRAS trips since his freshman year. The strong camaraderie among members and with the community is what keeps Campbell involved in the organization.

“A couple of years ago, New Orleans had a city-wide ‘Marquette Day,’ and a house we stay in says in French ‘Marquette’s House,’” Campbell said. “I’m just thankful to Marquette for providing us the opportunity to build a strong relationship with this city.”

Even though they gave up their spring breaks for the benefit of others, these MAP and MARDI GRAS students are not complaining. They are holding onto their experiences from the trips and plan to continue helping others in Milwaukee and their hometowns.

“The whole experience was absolutely wonderful; it was an unforgettable trip across the board,” Coate said.

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