SLICE club travels to San Diego to help various organizations
The volunteers' efforts also benefit Valley organizations
By Leah LeMoine
Reporter,
The VOICE
SLICE students lent a helping hand over spring break
While other college students were partying, sleeping in or just lazing around on spring break, 47 honors students from Glendale Community College (GCC) were participating in community service projects in San Diego, Calif.
The students participated in Serve. Learn. Inspire. Change. Educate. (SLICE), an alternative spring break program that aims to "raise awareness of global issues through education and intensive service experiences benefiting the host community while fostering kinship among Paradise Valley Community College and GCC students," according to a SLICE statement. Honors Program coordinator Jennifer Lane organized and led the trip.
The students were divided into groups that volunteered at four different organizations – the Family Team served at the Storefront Shelter, the Kids Team served at Stand Up For Kids, the Immigration/Refugee Team served at Casa Familiar and the Environmental Team served at Fire Recovery/Volunteer San Diego.
Civil engineering student Shaun Yingling was the co-leader, with GCC student Kelsey Hughes, of the Family Team.
"I was the co-leader of the family group, mainly because I've been involved in the Boys and Girls Club since I was seven and have a lot of experience working with kids and parents," said Yingling. "I would consider all of the people in my group leaders, though. They all put in their time, effort, commitment and input. I was just the person who called to schedule (where to volunteer)."
Such modesty is a common characteristic among the SLICE volunteers, who have each logged hundreds of hours of community service and together raised thousands of dollars to benefit both the San Diego organizations they volunteered at and ones closer to home, such as New Leaf/Faith House in Phoenix and the Scottsdale Prevention Institute.
Morgan Baugus, a communication major at GCC, co-led the Immigration/Refugee Team with fellow GCC student Israel Montero. Immigration was their focus, and, in addition to their work at Casa Familiar, they were able to take a tour with a border patrol agent. Baugus described the experience as "eye-opening."
"People learned a lot about immigration and about themselves," said Baugus. "It was very emotional for a lot of people and it changed the way we viewed a lot of things relating to immigration."
Yingling's Family Team volunteered at Store Front Shelter, a 24-hour shelter and transitional home for children, teenagers and young adults. They cleaned the entire facility, organized clothing donations and planned activities like beach football and a games tournament for the kids to participate in after school.
"We just wanted to make some kind of connection with them and help take their minds off of their daily struggles," said Yingling. "These kids really do want to change and make positive decisions in their lives."
Lewis Robinson, a third-year GCC honors student, co-led the Environment Team with student Jeremy Bowker. The team worked with the Fire Recovery/Volunteer San Diego to clear burnt trees and brush from fire-ravaged areas.
"The hours we worked were hard but it was fun," said Robinson. "We got through the tough days by talking with each other and became friends. We learned a lot about each other and found things in common to help pass the time."
Yingling, Robinson and Baugus stress the importance of community service and helping others.
"I just want people to know that it's needed," said Yingling. "It's not sacrificing your time, it's just spending your time more wisely by helping people." Robinson concurred.
"Service learning is not always going to be fun, but the important thing is it's not for you," said Robinson. "It is for somebody else who needs it more, and besides – fun is relative to point of view."
"If you get out there and involve yourself in things, you can meet the most amazing people," said Baugus. "I love doing community service and (the trip) turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life."
Students interested in participating in next year's SLICE trip should contact Lane in the Honors Department office.
Please send comments to llemoine@gccvoice.com
