Johnson State College’s Break Away agenda for February break will take four groups of students to various points in the U.S. as well as to Nicaragua to study social issues and lend a hand.
Ten students are chosen for each group, each with two leaders. Any vacant spots left over are filled during the second application process occurring the week after October break.
The Disaster Relief and Arts group will head to New Orleans, along with their leaders Dani Hopp and Pete Boardman. “We are going to rebuild houses and work with the community through art,”said group member Elizabeth Conard. “I think that art is a really part of a community, which is why I joined the Disaster Relief group.”
The group will work with a local organization, United Saints, which will host the team and assist in aiding the people of New Orleans whose homes were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
The Rural Poverty and Cultural Empowerment group, led by Kelsey Magee and Kaylie Hale, will travel to West Virginia to help a small and impoverished community insulate homes and communicate with the youth in the area. For group leader Kelsey Magee, participation is important in her own development, as well as providing a chance to help others. “It is to create a world where people are passionate about their community and make community a priority in their lives,” she said. “That [happens] by going on the trip and making people passionate about the issue and coming back to educate others.”
The group members of Environmental Recovery are led by Val Gordon and Ashleigh Shotwell. They will travel to Biloxi, Miss., on the Gulf Coast. “We will be working with the community as well,” said another group member, Brittany Ryan. “But our focus is on the environment.” Environmental Recovery will work to restore plant life and clean the water on the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
“I joined because I always wanted to do something to help my world and this is a great opportunity to do so,” Ryan said. “Not only do I get to see the world, but I get to help people and the environment while doing so.”
Some Break Away members will be going to Nicaragua for Clean Water Solutions. Led by Kailie Guilino and Sarah Krouse, the group members will continue the work begun last year in helping to provide safe drinking water to remote villages. Considering the success of last year’s trip, the students look forward to renew their efforts to this cause.
All of the Break Away groups work collaboratively or separately to raise funds to purchase plane tickets and defray other expenses needed for the trips. “Each of the groups is responsible for their own trip,” explained Magee. “They will fundraise however much they need to fundraise and then the group works together for the trip…Each trip has to raise a different amount [of money]. It can range from $6000 to $23,000.”
All Break Away members are selling Dan’s Chocolates, a Burlington-based product, for $12 a bag. The chocolates come in six flavors: Peppy-r-Mint, Orangadu, Caramel River, The Caffeinated, PB Ecstasy, and Lot-A-Choc. Orders must be in by Oct.15.
The Mr. and Mrs. Johnson State pageant is a fundraiser held by the Rural Poverty and Cultural Empowerment group on Dec. 11. “It’s a super awesome one,” says Magee, who is excited to start the fun. The show will be a funny event where contestants from the student body are able to have some laughs and win the title of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson State.
The Johnson community can attend the Disaster Relief and Arts group’s Haunted Frolf Course on Oct. 20. “We have people walk through the trails out back and we set it up to be really scary,” said Conard. “There is a kid’s version at 5 p.m. and then an adult version at 7 p.m. that is scarier.”
Students, children, and senior citizens are charged $5 to see the haunted course. Other community members will pay $8.
The Disaster Relief and Arts group will also be selling JSC t-shirts in the SERVE office. The shirts display the slogan, “Just Straight Chillin’.” They are sold at $12 for a plain one and $15 for one with tie-dye.
