United Way Alternative Spring Break
Seven young Cleveland volunteers and two United Way of Greater Cleveland staff members volunteered for the United Way Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program,
held in March this year in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Along with nearly 350 ASB participants from across the nation, they helped rehabilitate homes damaged by Hurricane Rita,
build new homes, and clean up a Campfire USA youth camp. Learn more about Alternative Spring Break 2007.
Nicole Langlois, a United Way of Greater Cleveland staff member, participated as a team leader, living and working with ASB volunteers at Lake Charles.
This is a brief photo scrapbook of what she saw at Alternative Spring Break 2007:
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Cleveland's 2007 Alternative Spring Break (ASB) Participants
Left to right, standing: Shenai Spears (Cuyahoga Community College); Deidre Hawkins (Cuyahoga Community College); Indiya Freeman (City Year Corps); Heather Nguyen (Cleveland State University); Mohamed ElGamel (Cleveland State University).
Left to right, kneeling: Ashley Williams (Jacksonville State University); Electra Davison (City Year Corps).
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ASB Bunkhouse: United Way of Southwest Louisiana provided quarters for Alternative Spring Break participants in its Volunteer Housing Center. Moms everywhere, if it's any consolation to you, please note that your kids' bedrooms look this messy no matter where they go!
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FedEx donated wireless laptop computers for a "Cyber Café" in the Volunteer Housing Center so that ASB volunteers could stay connected with family and friends during their stay in Louisiana.
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Sixteen passenger vans were rented to shuttle ASB participants between their housing and the work project sites in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, during March. United Way of America staff and team leaders drove the vans.
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American Red Cross staffers served lunch to ASB volunteers at Cameron Parish High School.
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A Red Cross staff member in Cameron Parish tells ASB participants about her experiences assisting in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita.
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This fire-damaged home in Lake Charles, Louisiana was one of the project sites that a team of ASB volunteers worked on. High winds from Hurricane Rita caused the fire, which destroyed several rooms. Incredibly, the home's owners, a family of six, were still living in the house while the restoration work was being done.
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An inside view of one of the rooms in the fire-damaged home in Lake Charles.
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Ashley Williams, shown at left wearing a pink cap, worked with the ASB renovation team on this house in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
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ASB volunteers take a moment to pose for this group photo. Front row center, in a dark blue sweatshirt, is one of the home's owners. Ashley Williams of Cleveland, wearing a pink cap, was part of this United Way Alternative Spring Break home restoration team.
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