Instead of going to the beach, LSU students in the community service organization Alternative Spring Break took the road less traveled to do volunteer work in Atlanta.
The newly formed organization is a secular club dedicated to community service.
Volunteers drove to Atlanta and stayed in a hostel during Spring Break. They volunteered at Boys and Girls Clubs in Atlanta, where they played games with inner-city children who stay at the clubs while their parents are at work.
Trey Smith, a polyscience and communication studies junior, said he could really see the difference in management when he visited two different centers. One center offered spelling bees and art classes to the children, while the other center “just let the kids run around.”
Many of the volunteers noted that the success of the Boys and Girls Club depends on the leadership running the program.
“We did so much, and I hope we had an impact on these people,” Smith said. “The kids of the Boys and Girls Clubs have so much potential in their future and I really hope they fulfill it.”
Rozlyn Hebert, a psychology sophomore, said the sadness of the children’s situations overwhelmed her.
“I wasn’t sad that I went, but it was so much to take in,” Hebert said. “Everyone should have to [volunteer] to see how these centers are run.”
Smith said that flag football games and talent shows were constructive activities for the children.
Hebert said she spent three days bonding with the children at the Boys and Girls Club.
“I never expected to make a new 10-year-old best friend,” said Amy Scales, a secondary education sophomore.
Groups dug gardens at seven food banks around Atlanta so the workers could grow fresh produce. Workers moved timbers and dirt to set up the gardens.
Volunteers also reached out to the homeless. They worked at Cafe 458, a restaurant that serves homeless addicts who have signed contracts to join programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous and drug rehabilitation programs. The restaurant is open to the program participants during the week but is a paid restaurant on the weekend.
“I was expecting a soup kitchen, but the cafe’s walls are all painted different colors and it’s very nice,” Hebert said. “They prepare real, homemade food and give the diners a choice of entrees and side dishes.”
Groups of four volunteers rotated shifts at the cafe and served as waiters. With only eight tables in the cafe, the waiters had time to talk with the diners and ask them about their experiences.
Hebert said she talked to one man who fell asleep continuously throughout his meal. Hebert talked to him to keep him awake so he would not be asked to leave the cafe. Hebert learned that he had been attacked by a pit bull the day before and had not gone to the hospital to receive care.
“I think that all he wanted was to be worried over,” Hebert said. “He needed someone to tell him that he had to go to the hospital.”
Students had mixed reactions to these stories.
“With Cafe 458, I couldn’t help but think that there are hundreds of homeless people in the city and we’re only feeding 30 a day. Are we really putting quantity to heart?” said Jonathan Harb, a computer engineering senior.
Smith said that the cafe is a reward for people who are committed to programs that will help them get back on their feet.
“We started with a group of five founders, and then we got a group of 25 together to plan the trip,” said Monty Aghazadeh, a biological sciences sophomore and one of the founding members of the club.
The group decided to go to Atlanta because it is a large city close to Baton Rouge with both volunteer opportunities and entertainment.
The group got a taste of Atlanta by going to a Braves game and bowling at the Georgia Tech bowling alley.
Aghazadeh said that one of the club’s goals is to set up three to four trips next year.
“There’s so much improvement that could be done,” Aghazadeh said. “People really want to do it.”