SU Alternative Spring Break Heads to Costa Rica

SALISBURY, MD---While thousands of college students throughout the country head to Ft. Lauderdale, Cancun and other popular destinations for spring break, nine Salisbury University students plan to spend their vacation at an orphanage.

During the second SU-sponsored alternative spring break program, students with the Global Program Service Group will assist in a transitional home for 10 to 17 year-old boys in La Tesalia, Costa Rica.  The SU students will plan activities and play with the children, while also helping clean the home, known as Hogar La Esperanza (Hope Home).

In addition to volunteering three to four hours each day, they will also take part in cultural learning activities and have time to explore the region independently.

“The Global Service Project students have worked tirelessly to raise their own funds for this volunteer cross cultural experience,” Dr. Laura Marasco of the SU’s Education Specialties Department, who is the trip advisor and will travel with them.  “We have, in the process, become a family with a focus towards serving, learning and sharing.  We look forward to our travel and work in Costa Rica.”

The SU students participating are Rachel Cleary, Kelly George, Tiffany Halliburton, Brittany Hanselmann, Sarah Kooistra, Sarah Schmidt, Melanie Stevenson, Maureen Walker and Kathleen Wheeler.

The program is arranged by Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS) an international not-for-profit organization founded in 1995 with no political or religious affiliations.

During SU’s inaugural alternative spring break, Dr. Jill Caviglia-Harris of SU’s Economics and Finance Department took eight SU students to a foster home in Cartago, Costa Rica.  “With an open mind, willing heart, and the desire to help, these students not only explored the rewarding nature of volunteer work and humanitarian endeavors, but also ultimately discovered themselves,” she said.

One of last year’s participants, Juliana Humphreys, said:  “My experience really shaped my world view—it made me realize how similar people of all walks of life really are and I feel so blessed to have been able to learn as much as I did.”

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu.