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There will not be any Fall Trips for 2008. Check the Winter Break or Spring Break page to find out where we are going over those breaks.
Past Trips...
Fall Break Trips from
2006
Hurricane Relief Work -
Work with the United
Methodist Storm Recovery Center for necessary clean-up and rebuilding
efforts for this great city! This will be our third opportunity to
bring a delegation to a much needed area for assistance. This trip
will run from November 18th-25th.
All trips cost will be
approximately $250 for the
week including transportation, lodging, and food!
Greenfield, NH, November 20-27, 2004:
For the first time the
Alternative Spring Break program at the YMCA at Virginia Tech sent a
group of students during the Thanksgiving Break. A group of 5 students
headed up to Crotched Mountain Foundation in Greenfield, NH. The
Crotched Mountain Foundation, www.cmf.org,
is a school for disabled Children and an Adult Brain Injury Center.
The students left from Blacksburg and headed for their first stop in New
York City. The group spent the night in the city exploring the city and
checking out the sites. In the morning the group walked around the city,
through central park and checked out the MET and enjoyed the diverse
site found in NYC. From NYC the group continued north up to Greenfield,
NH and got checked into the Center. The first night was spent hanging
out, enjoying some TV, and writing in the group journal.
The group then spent the next two days work at the guest house. The
group was joined by two clients from the Brain Injury Center, John and
Lindsey. After lunch we took John and Lindsey to go and check out the
fully accessible tree house on the campus. After visiting the tree
house, John and Lindsey spent the afternoon up at the guest house with
us.
Some projects the group worked on at the guest house were clearing brush
from around the house. The guest house is one of the first buildings at
the campus and the roof is rotting because of poor ventilation and
sunlight. The group helped cut down small saplings and cleared out brush
to allow for ventilation along with a 360 degree view of the surrounding
mountain tops. The group also helped add insulation to the windows and
doorways. The group made preparations to remove an old lift in the
stairway. During all these projects one of the group members spent their
time talking with John and Lindsey. John work in landscaping in his
younger years and was full of advice and provided comic relief
throughout the day.
On Wednesday the group spent most of the day inside the Brain Injury
Center. A group of quilters made and donated quilts for all of the
clients. The group from VT went around and helped those who received the
quilts write thank you cards. They also found out themes and colors for
those who didn’t receive a quilt. In the afternoon the group took a
bunch of clients bowling at the on campus bowling lanes. During the
evening the group went into town and had dinner at a local restaurant.
During this dinner the group spent time discussing and reflecting about
the work they had done in the previous days. The group finished the
night by stopping by the local dinner and having some hot chocolate and
coffee.
On Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, the group spent the morning giving out
Thanksgiving Cards to the Brain Injury clients. After saying goodbye to
the clients the group then headed over to a group home where the
students who were still on campus were having Thanksgiving Dinner. The
group helped with the preparation and spent time with the kids. After
lunch the group said their goodbyes and left Crotched Mountain and head
over to Vermont.
The group arrived in Fletcher, Vermont and stayed with the leader of the
trips parents’ house. They had Thanksgiving dinner and relaxed in the
hot tub and enjoyed the snowy surroundings. In the morning the group
packed up their bags, said thanks, and started the journey back to Tech.
Along the way the group stopped at the Burton Factory in Burlington, and
the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory in Shelburne. The road trip back was one
to remember and sparked many discussions about the trip and what people
took away from the trip.
Overall the trip got great reviews. The group took a lot away from the
trip and gained a new respect for those who work with kids or adults
with disabilities. As the leader of the trip I hope the Alternative
Spring Break program returns to the center and give other students a
chance to have this amazing experience. Our first Alternative
Thanksgiving Trip could not have been more successful and I feel it has
opened the door to many more fall trips.
The following are some quotes from the group journal that was kept
throughout the trip:
“But I think the best convo I had today was with Lindsey when we were
talking about a camp she worked at before she had her disability. The
look on her face and in her eyes just made me forget about any problems
I had at the time. Everyday that I am able to do what I want to do, I
will dot it and I will enjoy every second of it because you never know
when you will lose that right.” –Jody Gill, November 22, 2004
“I will not put my life on a timeline, but when I have the time / money
to do something I plan to do it right then… But truth is, you begin to
see past their disabilities and regard them the same as your peers.” –
Carolyn Mertes, November 24, 2004
“I love being in the presence of John, he has been through so much, yet
he keeps on making people laugh and living his life thoroughly.” –
Michelle Masters, November 24, 2004
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