Middlebury's Volunteer Culture Flourishes MALT's February Break Trips Focus on Community Service

Author: Meghan Keenan

Looking for a new way to become involved in Middlebury College's growing volunteer culture? Try Middlebury Alternative Breaks (MALT). One of several new volunteer opportunities, MALT sponsors trips to Boston, Washington, D.C., and Costa Rica over February break.

MALT began two years ago when Susannah Cowden '04 and Alana Sagin '04 organized a group of seven Middlebury students to travel to Costa Rica for 10 days to volunteer. The trip was a great success as it offered the experience of a lifetime - specifically an experience that could not be offered within the boundaries of the Middlebury community.

This inspired those involved to continue the tradition and establish a program that could be offered every February break. Although the trip did not run last year because many of the leaders were abroad, the program has been reinstated this year under the auspices of the Volunteer Services Organization (VSO).

In the spring, MALT hopes to become a more established and defined as a group separate from VSO.

This year, the program has expanded to include three separate trips organized by Cowden and Susannah Patty '06. The organizational process began in the fall with an application process open to all students. The Costa Rica excursion in particular attracted a large number of applicants. The applicant pool for all trips represented a number of students from each class year.

The leaders of each group also include an assortment of upper and underclassmen. Patty and Erin Jensen '04 are leading the trip to Boston, Adelaide Hearst '05 and Cowden are leading the Washington, D.C., trip and Lauren Miller '04 and Nora Segar '06 are in charge of the students heading to Costa Rica.

Fudraising ahs been key in getting the program off the ground.

"We wanted to be able to include everyone who was interested in these trips and not exclude anyone for financial reasons," Hearst emphasized

Some of the fundraising efforts currently underway are MALT T-shirts, which will be on sale in the near future, a 50/50 raffle at one of the Middlebury College hockey games, bake sales at various swim meets and possibly a benefit concert to be held in the Gamut Room.

To further cut costs, students participating in the Boston and Washington, D.C., trips will be driving to their destinations and staying in youth hostels in the area. Students will stay in homes with local families in Costa Rica.

The Boston trip will involve volunteer activities with various shelters around the city, specifically women's abuse and homeless shelters. Those attending the Costa Rica trip will be assisting local elementary schools, where volunteers often bring art supplies as gifts for the local children.

The Washington, D.C., trip will involve several different activities, beginning with a two-day participation in a program similar to Habitat for Humanity. Students will work to help build low-income housing, as well as educate new homeowners about the responsibilities involved in owning a home.

The rest of the break will involve activities centered on AIDS volunteering.

The group will be working with Food and Friends, a program that makes and delivers food to those afflicted with the AIDS virus and other life-threatening illnesses including cancer.

Although still early in the organizational stages, co-leader Hearst also hopes to eventually become involved in the Student Global AIDS Campaign on Capitol Hill.

"Our major problem right now is that not enough students really know who we are yet and what we are trying to do. We are hoping to gain exposure and support from more of the campus community through our breaks this year," Hearst noted.

MALT is only one part of the growing volunteer community here at Middlebury.

Affiliated with Tiffany Sargent and the Alliance for Civic Engagement Office (formerly the Community Service, Service-Learning and Student Employment Office), those involved are trying to increase campus awareness of the many opportunities offered through the office.

To learn more about these opportunities, visit the ACE office in McCullough, where weekly postings will highlight upcoming events.