Ball State's Alternative Breaks Association is taking a group of students to volunteer at Community Threads in Arlington Heights, Illinois, during the university’s spring break from March 5 to March 12.
Community Threads is a nonprofit thrift store that is driven by volunteer work. Purchases and donations at the organization provide help for the homeless, animal shelters, scholarships for kids and safety for inner-city youth.
“It’s not one of the big name nonprofits, but it’s something small where we can really get involved and impact the community,” said Hannah Dwyer, membership recruiter for the Alternative Breaks Association.
Dwyer said the trip is a good alternative to traditional spring break plans and there is no commitment to the group afterward.
“We don’t volunteer every day or travel every weekend to volunteer, but it’s a good way to meet new people, get experience, save money, and also give back to the community,” Dwyer said. “It brings a lot of random people together with different personalities and it’s a great experience.”
Alternative Breaks typically chooses locations that are within an eight-hour drive from Muncie.
Ramey Cornett has gone on the last two trips with Alternative Breaks where he volunteered at The Shack Neighborhood House in Morgantown, West Virginia, and at La Casa in Goshen, Indiana.
Cornett plans to attend the trip to Community Threads this spring as well. His involvement with the group is driven by the group's impact.
“I love the impact that I have made on people, not to mention the impact that it has had on me,” Cornett said. “I love the idea of having an impact on people’s lives while being impacted myself.”
Ani Thomas, president of the Alternative Breaks Association, says the group is also planning two other trips for the upcoming break. One trip will be to the Boys and Girls Club in Baltimore, Maryland, and the other will be to Orlando, Florida, to volunteer with the Global Soap Project.
Locations of Alternative Breaks trips from the last seven semesters
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