According to a survey of 80 Grand Valley State University students polled via Facebook, the majority said over this spring break, they’re heading home or to warmer weather. For the 50 percent of polled students who reported they were Florida-bound, most of them will head there not with friends or family, but with on-campus organizations.

Students from GVSU have many opportunities through the school and through such organizations to end up somewhere
warm and sunny for spring break. His House Christian Fellowship and Campus Ministries specifically arrange mission trips for students.

Every year, His House embarks on a service trip to Ft. Myers, Florida, where they volunteer their time to build and paint houses, work at a soup kitchen and work on other various projects the people at the church they stay at have for them.

“It’s a rewarding experience, helping people out that need it,” said Phil Matro, a senior accounting major. Matro attended the Ft. Myers trip for the past two years, this year boosting his tally of returns to the area to three.
“Working with other college kids in Florida solidifies friendships that last throughout your whole college experience,” he said.

Organizations like His House and Alternative Breaks, a secular organization that sends out trips each year, help to prevent a scenario that many college kids face: they make big plans to road trip it to the beach, the mountain, New Orleans and somehow or another plans fall through. A situation that junior secondary education major Laura Breen was recently faced with.

“Now I’m just going to be spending my break at home, curled up on the couch with Netflix,” Breen said.

Similarly, Katie Larsen, a junior at GVSU from Benton Harbor, also had plans that came to nothing.

“Florida didn’t end up working out,” Larsen said. “Now I’ll just be going home.” No matter where you end up for Spring Break, at least you get a week away from Kleiner and AuSable
Hall.