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Breaking
Tradition
Forget
the umbrella drinks
and sandy beaches. One group of SFSU students spent their spring break
cleaning a city park, collecting toys for terminally ill children, and
leading social activities for seniors.
"I want to give my time to somebody else … all that partying
is really overrated," says Erika Leon-Guerrero, one of 25 students
who completed community-service projects during the five-day break.
Taught by Assistant Recreation and Leisure Professor Erik Rosegard,
the Care Break Alternative Spring Break class is designed to foster
and maintain students' interest in volunteer work. "As students
learn more about how they can help others, they grow more interested
in improving the quality of the service they're providing," Rosegard
says.
After learning more about the needs of San Francisco General Hospital's
pediatric patients, one group of students organized a toy drive. In
just two days they collected more than 500 toys, as well as hundreds
of books and videos.
"It's a great feeling to organize something and have it go better
than you ever could have imagined," says Care Break student Kathleen
Eckert.
Other students cleaned and planted trees at Justin Herman Plaza, kept
seniors company at Hampton Court assisted-living center, provided leadership
training for Phillip and Sala Burton High School students, and assisted
teachers at Sunnyside Elementary School.
Although the class is over, Care Break student Nadia Tostanoski has
launched a VCR/DVD drive for SF General's Pediatric Unit. Classmate
David Varela wants to organize a student-led toy drive in one of Rosegard's
fall classes.
-- Adrianne
Bee
 
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