Instead of a Spring break filled with basketball, sun and warm, sandy beaches, a large group of Creighton students has chosen to dedicate the week to putting their Jesuit values into action. Spring Break Service Trips, sponsored by the Creighton Center for Service and Justice, continue to be popular. About 230 students led by 59 student-coordinators will be participating this spring.

Last year, about 310 students formed 37 groups for both the spring and fall sessions. The program marks its 27th anniversary this year.

Students will be participating in half-week trips in Omaha and full-week trips to sites throughout the country. This year, there are 30 sites, with four in Omaha. Kelly Orbik, assistant director for the CCSJ, said the sites are chosen by recommendations from other partners.

“These communities may be working together on a social issue or just trying to care for each other in a more humane way,” Orbik said. “They are examples for our students of how to be involved in their own communities in the future.”

It costs $260 per student to participate in the program, and each is required to pay $225. To help with the additional cost, the group organizes fundraising events. The CCSJ also offers need-based scholarships.

The sites give students the opportunity to engage in the seven pillars of the program: service, solidarity, community, justice, simplicity, sustainability and reflection. There are a variety of service projects offered and they vary by each trip, from physical labor to working with the homeless. Orbik said the students primarily engage in relational-service. It is aimed at connecting with community members and forming personal relationships.

Meet three students who have chosen to participate in this year’s program and to live out each of the seven pillars for a week over spring break.

***

The Voice of Experience: Michael McKenny, Arts & Sciences senior

Site: Holy Family Catholic Worker in Kansas City, Mo.

Michael McKenny understands the term service a bit differently than most, and with each trip he participates in, the definition changes. To him, service is about connecting with the people you are helping and making a difference in their lives.

He describes his participation as an “avalanche affect.” He went to Indiana as a sophomore on his first service trip. As a junior, he became a coordinator, leading a group to Oklahoma City. This year, he has joined seven other students as a member of the Core Team, which works to help develop the coordinators, raise money and collaborate with host sites.

McKenny says the experience has been “empowering and challenging,” since most of the planning process is student-organized and student-led. He hopes the members of his group will learn something about social justice and return to Creighton with those values in mind.

“I want them to get interested enough to go out and find the answers for themselves,” he says. “I’m just looking for a new experience. Hopefully, I can make some sort of difference for the best.”

***

The Rookie Leader: Stephen Ducey, Arts & Sciences junior

Site: St. Stephens Indian Mission in Wind River, Wyo.

Stephen Ducey wasn’t lounging on the beach during his last spring break. He was picking up trash in White River Park in Indianapolis soaking wet and sliding on sheets of ice. Still, he smiles when he thinks about the experience.

“The river had overflown, so trash was everywhere. At the end of the day everyone was soaked and cold, but we laughed the entire time.”

Last year was Ducey’s first Spring Break Service Trip. This year, he will act as a coordinator for the first time.

He will be responsible for making sure the group stays on task, getting members excited about doing service and facilitating reflection each day.

He says being a coordinator will allow him to connect with the service site on a deeper level.

Ducey says service is important because it lets you “practice what you preach.”

“It opens my eyes to what is going on around the world and [lets me know that] I can actually do something tangible to make a positive difference in other people’s lives.”

***

The New Recruit: Claire Schuster, Arts & Sciences freshman

Site: St. Stephens Indian Mission in Wind River, Wyo.

Though this will be Claire Schuster’s first CCSJ trip, philanthropy is not new to her. Schuster participated in several service trips at her Jesuit high school.

“It was actually a big factor in coming to Creighton,” she says. “I wanted the opportunity to continue to do service.”

Schuster says she is “a bit apprehensive” for her first Creighton excursion, especially since she won’t be able to go home until the end of the semester, which can be nerve-wracking.

She says she’s looking forward to getting to know the other students in her group, as well as doing outdoor activities, which are a favorite pastime.

Wind River was Schuster’s first service-site choice. She says she expects to learn about the culture and traditions of the people, as well as the problems they face living on the reservation.

“Service is important because college can feel like a bubble,” she says.

“It’s always been something I’ve liked to do and I am happy I can still do it here at Creighton.”