By Mrs. Kara Boone and Dr. Jenn Grimm

 

Spring break is often thought of as a time to enjoy sun, sand, and relaxation.  For 15 ODU students, their spring break this year looked a little different.  In five days, these students, under the guidance of the Office of Leadership & Learning, completed almost 300 hours of volunteering in our local community, choosing to use their Spring Break to give back to others!

 

Alternative Spring Breaks, which focus on service, volunteering, and ways to give back to a community in need, are a fairly common practice among higher education institutions.  ODU has offered Alternative Spring Breaks for students in years previous, but we were especially excited to bring the program back after a brief hiatus due to COVID, and to offer, for the first time, a completely local Alternative Spring Break. All six service sites this year were local to our 757 community, keeping our volunteer efforts close to home!

 

The week began on a Sunday night, when both students and staff gathered for dinner, overviewing goals, expectations, and details of a busy week ahead.  On Monday, the first service site was the Virginia Aquarium, where students not only got to see behind the scenes with the Aquarium Care Team, but also had the opportunity to get involved, helping to clean the “food prep” kitchen where all fish food is prepared, as well as create jars of enriched fly paste, perfect for feeding fish!  Although volunteering at the Aquarium was exciting, nothing could top the behind-the-scenes moments of watching Komodo Dragon and Sea Turtle feedings – a memory our students will never forget!

 

Tuesday began with tie dye, yard games, and sunshine – and finished with cooking, serving, and volunteering with the Norfolk Winter Shelter’s dinner service at Trinity Presbyterian Church.  Our ODU students did it all – from check-in to table setting, cooking to serving, and even taking time to socialize with shelter guests.  We fed over sixty members of the homeless community this evening, and our students did an amazing job! This service experience appeared to have a personal impact on many of the students. In completing a post-Alternative Spring Break survey, one student commented that they were “surprised by how well the team worked together at the shelter in the church [and] also how friendly the guests were that attended.” Another student commented that their biggest takeaway from the week of service was “not to judge people based [on] where they stand in society.”

 

The third day of Spring Break involved planting trees at Old Dominion University’s Virginia Beach campus, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Forestry, Lynnhaven River Now, and the Virginia Trees for Clean Water grant that was recently awarded for reforestation at this campus.  Students learned about the impact of climate change, the positive impact of green spaces and trees on public health and our environment and planted over 50 trees before heading to APEX for some fun and relaxation – and arcade games, of course!

 

Next on the agenda was the Chesapeake Center for Student Success, where ODU students were able to hear from school principal, Dr. Brown, learn about alternative education programs in our community, and work alongside 8thgrade students from the program to build raised planter beds and clean up school landscaping.  The group also visited the Norfolk SPCA in the afternoon, helping to walk shelter dogs, interact with shelter cats, sort donations, assist with laundry, and build enrichment toys and treats for the animals.

 

Students finished this busy week with a morning of volunteering on campus in the Monarch Pantry located in Webb Center.  Students learned about food insecurity, as well as ways students can get involved before cleaning, stocking shelves, and sorting donations.  This last day of Alternative Spring Break concluded with a culminating lunch, where students were able to meet and share their experiences with ODU staff and faculty from Career Development Services, the LeADERS Program, Housing & Residence Life, the Dean of Students Office, and more.  It was wonderful to see students share their experiences and create meaningful connections to their work.

 

After participating in Alternative Spring Break, students surveyed (n=15) shared the following about ASB’s influence on their lives:

  • 100% cared more about how their actions impact others
  • 100% felt more connected to ODU and their peers
  • 100% learned more about their skills, abilities, and growth areas
  • 100% interested in getting more involved in the Hampton Roads community

 

One of the Alternative Spring Break student participants summed up the essence of the week perfectly when he shared: "This experience has taught me that even small acts of kindness and service can make a significant impact on those around us. Volunteering was amazing, and it made me realize that I can make a difference no matter where I am. I feel super inspired and ready to keep giving back!"

 

Volunteering is one of many ways to get involved in your community – if you are looking to give back and make a positive impact yourself or find ways to help connect students to service opportunities, please contact the Office of Leadership & Learning.  Our mission is to create civically engaged leaders, and we would love to partner with you! Please follow VolunteerODU on Instagram for additional opportunities, or email volunteer@odu.edu to be added to a monthly volunteer email list.  We hope to get out of the classroom and into the community with you soon!