Lesley student-athletes lend a helping hand at Alternative Spring Break
CAMBRIDGE, Mass-Landscaping, siding, painting, and building foundation... these were just a few of the responsibilities taken on by 13 students and two staff members from Lesley University down in Ashville, North Carolina for Alternative Spring Break (ASB). The crew worked on several different houses that were part of a Habitat for Humanity complex that contained 52 homes for families that were working towards building their own homes.
Five student-athletes were on the trip to Ashville as Matt Hunt, Janice Catalano, Rachel Federico, Luisa Florez, and Bridget Rundquist represented the Lynx.
The ASB experience gives Lesley students the opportunity to travel to and work in communities where they most likely have not visited and more importantly, need their help in rebuilding.
Both students and families worked together throughout the week. There is a requirement to fulfill "sweat equity hours" which means that the families have hands-on involvement in the construction of their own homes. The heads of the household and any children over the age of 16 must commit sweaty equity hours before they can inhabit their new home.
Bridget Rundquist, a player on the women's soccer team, was one of four freshman students that went on their first ASB trip. She spoke about her experience and what it meant to her to go on this trip.
"ASB is something I will definitely do again. It was great to go on this trip as a representative of Lesley Athletics because I wanted to show a different side of student-athletes to all the non-athletes that came with us. I had the opportunity to make new friends that I know I will have for the rest of my time at Lesley. I would definitely encourage other student-athletes to go on ASB and I plan on bringing my experience and what I learned to my women's soccer teammates."
Lesley staff member Sarah Cantrell, who led her
second ASB trip, knows that the purpose of this trip is to get the
participants to break away from their daily routines and to engage
with a new community.
"One example of a new community is the ASB group itself as it includes students from different backgrounds, majors, and student groups on campus," comments Cantrell. "The participants come together for a common purpose and, in the process, they learn about each other."
Cantrell has seen the transformation that happens to the students that go on an ASB trip as each participant comes back with a new outlook on their life and the lives of those they touched.
"After a week together, the team returns to Lesley with a new perspective on Habitat for Humanity and on a community in the South. Most importantly, the students return with a new perspective on their fellow classmates and their own role in the Lesley University community."
In 2009, the Office of Community Service conducted Alternative Spring Break trips to Ashville, NC, Camden, NJ, and Spartanburg, SC.
Courtesy of Lesley Sports Information Office
