Clemson University students to travel for spring break service projects

Published: March 16, 2011

By Sidney Nimmons

CLEMSON — Many Clemson University student groups are making plans to visit various destinations for service projects during spring break March 21-25.

The Clemson Navigators will be visiting Vero Beach, Fla., to partner with three organizations: Habitat for Humanity, Every Dream Has a Price and the Gifford Youth Activity Center. Students will be included in many service activities, from renovating homes to tutoring children.

Lutheran Campus Ministry will be taking a trip to Washington, D.C., to partner with the Steinbrook Center for Urban Studies on poverty-related issues.

Crosspoint also will be going to Washington, D.C., with a group of 25 international Clemson students. They plan to tour the nation’s capital and learn more about the United States. The group will visit New York City for a day, too.

The Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC) will be going to both Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The group will work with children in health clinics and on public health education projects.

“I spent the month of July 2010 with FIMRC's Project Bumwalukani in Uganda, and it was nothing short of life-changing,” said Rabun Howard, president of the Clemson chapter of the organization, which has grown to have more than 40 members.

“I can't wait for the other FIMRC members, especially those who have never done anything like this before, to have a similar experience. Most of them are future health care professionals, but many of them don't have a particular interest in the medical field, they just like serving others,” said Howard.

The Alternative Break Program will be sending two groups of students to New Orleans and Pensacola, Fla. The first group will participate in community outreach in the Lower Ninth Ward, while the second group will help clean up oil from the Gulf spill.

Clemson Wesley is partnering with the School of Nursing’s “Transcultural Healthcare” study-abroad class to sponsor a trip for 85 students to Eleuthera, Bahamas. The group will be working in schools and clinics and on several construction projects. This will be the group’s 10^th visit to the island. In the past the group has helped re-build houses and worked in health clinics.

“The students always gain more from the experience they give. It becomes a significant life event for many of those who spend time on the island,” said Lane Glaze, Methodist campus minister.

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