HIGH POINT, N.C., March 28, 2011 ? Vacation and relaxation wasn?t the point of spring break for a group of students at High Point University. Instead, they seized the opportunity to volunteer their time and efforts by helping victims of Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi.
A group of students, along with members of Oak Ridge Methodist Church, visited Moss Point, Miss. ? about 100 miles east of New Orleans. Here, they worked on a number of different projects to help families return to their homes and to facilitate housing of additional volunteers in the area.
?We are extremely privileged to be able to travel to Mississippi to meet and to help such wonderful people,? says Graham Howard, a junior at HPU, about the experience. ?We worked hard, but we had a great time doing it and met a lot of great people. It was definitely a rewarding experience.?
Kelly Norton, director of experiential learning at HPU, explains that even though the storm happened several years ago, there is still much work that has to be done.
?Since then, rebuilding money has dried up, and volunteers who once flocked to the region are scarce,? says Norton. ?Our students remain dedicated to the needs of these people, many of whom are still living in the Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers issued to them more than five years ago. It is important for us to continue to help this community as they rebuild their lives.?
The HPU Alternative Break program began in the spring of 2005. Other projects of the program have included flood recovery in Iowa, Atlanta, Ga. and Nashville, Tenn.; hurricane response in Texas; a food gleaning project in Orlando, Fla.; a safe-housing project in Florida; and a clean air and water project in rural Guatemala.
Howard, who has been on the past four alternative break trips at HPU, sees this work as an extension of the values learned at HPU.
?I love helping others and volunteering. The alternative break trips, to me, are the perfect break,? he says. ?I don’t think there is a better way to spend my break then helping someone in need.”
Annually, High Point University students volunteer 30,000 hours in the local community.
At High Point University, every student receives an extraordinary education in an inspiring environment with caring people. HPU, located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, is a liberal arts institution with over 4,200 undergraduate and graduate students from 51 countries and 46 states at campuses in High Point and Winston-Salem. It is ranked by US News and World Report at No. 3 among Regional Colleges in the South. Forbes.com ranks HPU in the top 7 percent among ?America?s Best Colleges.? Parade Magazine lists HPU in the top 25 private schools in the nation. The university offers 50 undergraduate majors, 42 undergraduate minors and 14 graduate degree programs. It is accredited by the Commission of Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and is a member of the NCAA, Division I and the Big South Conference. Visit High Point University on the Web at highpoint.edu.
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Pam Haynes
Communication Specialist
336-841-9055
[email protected]