Fall break service trip

by Taylor Miller

Rather than going home, some Simpson College students went on a service trip to help those in need.

Hosted by Religious Life Community (RLC), the students on the fall break trips traveled to the Greater Des Moines community to help with Habitat for Humanity.

Sophomore Tricia Ingram, chapel intern of justice and mission, said these service trips are one of the most rewarding things students could participate in to understand community service.

“I would encourage students to think about times in their life when they’ve really needed the support and love of people in their lives,” said Ingram. “I would encourage them to show that they support and love the hurting community members by helping out with an alternative break trip.”

Ingram said instead of going home, going on a fall break trip or a spring break trip is much more rewarding.

“It’s really easy to want to go home over breaks, but I assure students that going on a fall or spring break is so much more fulfilling and it’s very fun,” Ingram said.

For this year’s fall break, Ingram said going to Greater Des Moines to work with Habitat for Humanity involved some service project activities, such as revitalizing neighborhoods and helping out with building homes. She also said that this year, the Des Moines trip is the only one they were having, but in previous years groups have gone to Omaha, Minnesota and Northern Iowa.

“(We restored) a foreclosed house so that Habitat can give it to a family,” Ingram said. “(We also worked) at the ReStore on Euclid, helping with different projects. All of this is happening in Des Moines to help local community members and do our part to make the world better.”

Emily Pautsch, sophomore, also said these alternative trips are helpful to communities in need and how she would get students to be involved.

“It’s an opportunity to get away from campus and have some fun, do some service projects,” said Pautsch. “And for the students who can’t go home because of distance and the fact of staying on campus costs more than going on an RLC trip, it give them a place to go and get away for a little bit if you can’t afford to go home.”

Pautsch said RLC usually hosts two trips for fall break, since it is harder to find drivers for the trips. Students usually take a Simpson owned van with a limit of 10 people per van.

“But for alternative spring break trips they have a lot more groups you can go with which mean even more opportunities to help people who are in need,” Pautsch said.

Service opportunities are always available and will be available during the spring for those who would like to participate.