Alternative Breaks Club Has Traveled Far

This year is a milestone for the Alternative Breaks Club as it marks 10 years since its founding in 2000. The club got its start when Xavier sophomore Amanda Corzine put three impromptu trips together, all domestic. Students went to Baltimore, Md., West Virginia and New York City to do service work.

Over the last 10 years, Xavier's program has expanded into the large variety of locations and issues offered this year. The club now works in communities as close as our hometown of Cincinnati and as far away as Volgoda, Russia. The club's membership includes more than 260 students and 25 faculty and staff members. The club's budget is now around $200,000. Alternative Breaks, also known as XUAB, is sending students on 24 trips for the 2010-2011 academic year, including five to international destinations.

To accommodate this growth, the club is now managed by a board consisting of 13 students and a faculty advisor. The board does everything from planning trips and training site leaders to organizing fundraising opportunities and special events on campus. Student board members volunteer to work throughout the entire year, including in summer months, to ensure that trips are successful and meaningful to Xavier participants.

XUAB is among more than 150 colleges and universities throughout the United States involving approximately 65,000 students who are committed to this social movement. The Alternative Breaks movement began in 1991 when students established the first program at Vanderbilt University. Xavier joined the movement in 2001 when students developed a similar program, which has evolved into one of the leading programs in the nation.

XUAB is a member of the nationwide program BreakAway, a non-profit organization that promotes the Active Citizenship social movement. XUAB works with BreakAway annually by using its resources and educational information to develop a more effective program here at Xavier. Many thanks go to the BreakAway Staff for all their support.

Go to www.xavier.edu/alternativebreaks for more information about this year's alternative breaks trips.