Students Volunteer Over Break

While some undergraduates are spending their spring break on the beach, more Harvard students than ever will head for poverty-stricken areas of West Virginia and South Carolina next week.

Three groups of students will travel to areas of the South on the Alternative Spring Break program this year, said Mary Beth Walsh '93, who will lead a trip to Scarborough, W.V.

Last year, Alternative Spring Break sent 30 participants on two different trips, Walsh said. This year, 36 students will take part in the program.

The program's increasing popularity forced its steering committee to turn away some would-be participants, said Andrew S. Burwick '91-'92, a returning volunteer.

"It's strange to have to turn down people for volunteer work," Burwick said, "But hopefully we'll be able to expand next year."

In addition to Scarborough, W.V., students will also travel to Parkersburg, W.V. and Pawley's Island, S.C., Burwick said.

The volunteers help build and paint houses and municipal buildings, Walsh said. In addition, students in Parkersburg will counsel local teens, while those on Pawley's Island will conduct a survey on the cost of living, she said.

The program places strong emphasis on interactions with members of the communities visited, said James J. Kelleher '93.

"The first part of the program is a cultural exchange; the second part of it is volunteer work," Kelleher said.

Gillian D. Cohen '94, who went on Alternative Spring Break last year, said many young people in the target areas never finish high school. Volunteers on the Scarborough trip, she said, will hold meetings about higher education.