Alternative Spring Break (ASB) and Alternative Winter Break (AWB) trips provide students the opportunity to travel to different communities and engage in direct service to benefit their host community. ASB and AWB trips strive to promote a life long service ethic by encouraging students to examine their roles in community.  

"I have definitely gained a greater appreciation and understanding of how people can support each other, share their lives, and develop lasting friendships."
-ASB Student

Alternative Winter Break 2010

New York, New York

January 10-15, 2010

New York, New York...so nice they had to name it twice!  In January 2010 join nine other students dedicated to service in the community.  Spend your winter break volunteering to help the homeless.  Want to know more?  Click on the link below for more information.  Applications can be found at the Center for Service Learning located in Duncan Hall, room 339 or at the link below:

Alternative Winter Break (click here)

For additional information, email Carol Parreco at cparreco@howardcc.edu or by phone at 410-772-4432.

Alternative Spring Break 2009

Maryville, Tennessee

April 4 -11th, 2009

Students: Renee Arnold, Sarah Blaik, Nicole Fasulo, Heather Johnson, JiHye Kim, Kevin Patterson, Zina Richarson, Matthew Stephen, Shayna Wise, and David Trent

Advisors: Tracie Palm and Mary Newberger

For the spring break trip, ten students and two advisors travelled to Maryville, Tennessee to work with an organization called Once Upon a Time in Appalachia.  Their mission focuses on the Cherokee Nation and rural Appalachia, and preserving the incredibly rich natural environment in this world biosphere area through service learning projects.  

The group spent two days doing community service projects in the Snowbird Cherokee community in Robbinsville, NC.  The Snowbird Cherokee are descendants of the Cherokee who evaded the Great Removal in the 1850’s and hid out in the mountains.  Service projects included activities with preschool children at Snowbird Child Development Center, completing a craft with senior citizens at the senior citizens center and talking with them about their heritage, and painting and maintenance of an elder Cherokee woman’s home.

Students had the opportunity to talk with Cherokee leaders and residents about Cherokee history and current issues facing the Cherokee Nation.  Each evening after dinner the group discussed the Cherokee language and culture. The group gave one day of service at the Sequoyah Museum where they mulched the trails surrounding the museum and helped construct a traditional blacksmith shop.

Their last day of service was spent in Cherokee National Forest performing landscaping projects and litter removal. Students also had the opportunity to experience life on a working Appalachian homestead. A special thank you to the students who gave up their spring break to serve others.  Also,  thanks to the advisors and Carol Parreco and Regina Lowe for organizing the trip.

Alternative Winter Break 2009 

San Diego, California

January 11 - 16, 2009

Students:  Megan Davis, Devin Greene, Michelle Heck, Da Hew Hong, Heather Johnson, Katie Lisano, Ashleigh Pettus, Nicholas Pollard, Nicole Roberts, Veronica Yates

Advisors:  Robin Bauer and Richard Leith

Alternative Spring Break 2007

Immokalee, Florida

April 1 - April 6, 2007

Students: Andrea Brown, Charlotte Campbell, Kyle Davis, Natalia Glaros, Christine Jehn, Maria Jung, Yi Peng Lim, Stuart Martin, Kimberly Rivere, Joseph Sherrock

Advisors: Carol Parreco, Robin Bauer

Alternative Winter Break 2007

Kiln, Mississippi

January 11 - January 16, 2007

Students:  Travis Anthony, Erin Bayne, Philip Diven, Shana Gardner, Amber Gillette, Heather Johnson, Nicole Roberts, Shane Seglin, Ryan Skeberdis.

Advisors:  Carol Parreco, William Lowe

Alternative Spring Break 2006     

Selma, Alabama | McLain, Mississippi

April 7 - April 14, 2006

Students: Amy Lynne Bers, Lindsay Brezler, Danny Cokley, Kimberly Edwards, Amanda Eichelberger, Amanda Essner, Shana Gardner, Myong Sun Jung, MyoSung Kim, Dineshan Pathmanathan, Juan Spearman, Gordon Wall

Advisors:  Carol Parreco, Jeanette Jeffrey

Alternative Spring Break 2005

Big Ugly, West Virginia   

March 28 - April 2, 2005

Students: Hafsa Bora, Ethan Criss, Kara Fabina, Alison Gottschalk, Laura Gottschalk, Hilary Malmberg, Lisa McPherson, Joseph Nkwanyuo, Jason Strauss

Advisors: Carol Parreco, Shawn Bingham