FOR THIS week's column, I've chosen not to address a typically opinion-friendly issue like race relations or budget cutbacks. Instead, I'd like to tell you about one of the most rewarding Spring Break trips available, which you definitely should consider in your Spring Break plans next year. A group of about 40 University students made the journey south to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to work with Habitat for Humanity. I was one of these students. While clubbing in Cancun or relaxing at home certainly have their appeal, all involved agreed this trip was one of the greatest experiences of their entire lives. The trip to Florida provided a rewarding and fun environment that allowed participants to do charity work in a hands-on way, and see the fantastic results that working as a team can produce.
The journey to Fort Lauderdale is an adventure in itself. Until this trip I had no idea that 18 hours in a car can start to make you hallucinate, but now I know it can. Nor did I know that the human body can tolerate such incredible amounts of caffeine in a battle to stay awake and drive for the whole 18 hours without stopping.
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After arriving, we examined our surroundings. Our team stayed at Birch State Park in a cluster of wooden cabins, set back about 500 yards from the oceanfront. Saying these accommodations were "rustic" would be quite an understatement. The hard slab concrete floors combined with plastic-coated bunk beds reminded me more of boot camp than a vacation. There was no air flow. Mosquitoes were rampant. Sand tracked in from outside turned our cabin into a small dune littered with suitcases and sunscreen. The abundance of hungry and people-friendly raccoons around the cabins, too, couldn't help but make us question whether this was the best decision. Still, our little forest home combined with the distant showers and bathrooms made us appreciate the luxuries we had back in Charlottesville, like bathrooms down the hall without sand all over the floor, climate control, hot water and privacy.
After an extraordinarily painful sunburn which I and several others received the first day, (wear lots of strong sunscreen, and don't fall asleep on the beach either - two lessons I learned the hard way) we began work. Making an 8 a.m. commute through Fort Lauderdale doesn't seem like your average Spring Break story, this is true. Yet we did it. Arriving at the site for the first time, we saw five half-constructed homes already in place on a large, sandy construction site devoid of workers. After an organizational meeting and a bit of training, we were under way. We each were assigned and taught tasks for the day - hammering wooden sheets to the roof, putting up wire mesh for stucco on the exterior of the house, hauling plywood, sweeping - a whole host of jobs for the entire day's work, from eight in the morning until 3:30 in the afternoon. And let me tell you, looking back, it was awesome. You wouldn't think so at first, but there's something about nailing in the Florida sun all day that really takes out a ton of stress and is truly zen-like. Hauling massive sheets of wood for a couple hours with your buddy also really teaches you the value of teamwork. These were the sorts of things we did, all day, until we got back to our cabins around 4:00 each afternoon.
Seeing the effort that Habitat volunteers put into their work is inspiring. The majority of the non-student volunteers at the site were everyday people, taking time off from their jobs to climb on roofs in the hot sun for eight hours. It says a lot about a person who is willing to sacrifice his own income to work a full day in not-so-pleasant conditions for his fellow man. This trait of selfless service to others is something we should all take a lesson from.
There were also things we learned about Habitat for Humanity during the week that made us realize what a valuable and effective charity it is. For example, Habitat does not give away houses. They are sold to homeowners at reduced cost, using largely donated or price-reduced materials from generous hardware stores and local businesses. Applicants for a home must meet certain requirements, including a cap on income level, being drug-free, and putting in several hundred hours of volunteer time to Habitat prior to, during and after construction of their home. As an example of this, one homeowner named Delores, whose home we were constructing, was at the site the first day. Delores hauled wood, sawed, hammered and handed out water, all the time with a smile on her face. These aspects really put a face on the organization, and help people grasp that Habitat's mission is being more of a "helping hand" group than a "hand out" group. It became clear that Habitat's strong organization and wide base of help make it a powerful force in enabling low-income families to own a home.
When making plans for next year's Spring Break, I strongly encourage you to consider a University Habitat for Humanity trip. You can't beat the experience, the scenery or the lessons you learn. I can guarantee you this much - there is no way you're going to regret it.
(Austen Givens' column appears Mondays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at agivens@cavalierdaily.com.)
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