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Spring Trips

Children of the Night | Van Nuys, CA

Sexual Exploitation

Children of the Night is a private, non-profit, tax-exempt organization founded in 1979. We are dedicated to assisting children between the ages of 11 and 17 who are forced to prostitute on the streets for food to eat and a place to sleep. Since 1979 we have rescued girls and boys from prostitution and the domination of vicious pimps.

Organize a 2-hour presentation for our children on some activity, hobby or special interest for our children. (I.e. crafts, make-up, "improv" comedy, acting etc.) This would be scheduled in advance and would be on a weeknight from 7 to 9 p.m. Organize an outing for our children (i.e. hiking, going to a baseball game, to the theater, etc.) These outings are staffed with trained Children of the Night counselors.

Gaits to Success | Kiln, Mississippi

Disabilities and Special Needs

Students will have the opportunity to help with horse riding classes, work with the riders, and help out around this therapeutic riding facility.

Gaits to Success is working hard to turn dreams into reality for many children and adults along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. As a non-profit therapeutic riding facility in Kiln, Mississippi, they serve riders who have a variety of disabilities such as partial paralysis, autism, cerebral palsy, developmental delays, and mental retardation. Our students find physical and cognitive benefits while enjoying the freedom of horseback riding. Gaits to Success offers a unique approach to helping people with mental, physical, emotional, and learning disabilities. Therapeutic horseback riding gives the disabled person a feeling of freedom, independence and an awareness of self that is otherwise difficult to achieve by conventional therapy. Physical activity and individual accomplishment are uplifting and rewarding for the student. Improvement may be seen in increases in attention span, dexterity, auditory and visual learning motor skills, and memory cooperation. Volunteers will help with the classes while working with the riders and horses.

Gay Mens Health Crisis (GMHC) | New York, NY

HIV/AIDS

The Gay Men's Health Crisis works to reduce the spread of HIV and acts as an advocate and service provider for HIV patients. Participants will volunteer in the meals program, will help with GMHC's Aids Walk and learn about the various programs offered by GHMC.

The Gay Men's Health Crisis works to reduce the spread of HIV disease, help people with HIV maintain and improve their health and independence, and keep the prevention, treatment and cure of HIV an urgent national and local priority. They offer many programs and services, including Women's Institute, Institute for Gay Men's Health, and a meals program. Participants will volunteer in the meals program (serving food to clients, working on the cafeteria floor, interacting with clients), help with the AIDS walk (GMHC's biggest fundraising event) and learn about the other programs GMHC provides the community.

GrowMemphis | Memphis, TN

Civil Rights and Urban Farming

Students are offered hands-on experience in the community gardens as part of the GrowMemphis project and will also volunteer at the Manna House of Hospitality.

There is a wide variety of things volunteers will be doing in the garden, such as planting crops, preparing beds for planting, weeding, hoeing and watering, making compost, building raised beds, mulching pathways, building garden structures, harvesting produce and taking it to market.

GRuB - Garden-Raised Bounty | Olympia, WA

Sustainable Agriculture

Grub inspire positive personal and community change by bringing people together around food and agriculture. Grub partner with youth and people with low-incomes to create empowering individual & community food solutions. Grub offer tools & trainings to help build a just & sustainable food system.

Students will work with the schools initiative and the kitchen garden project. Through our GRuB in the schools initiative,disengaged and/or low-income students earn credits while learning about and contributing to their local food systems. We focus on the themes of Farming Self (personal development), Farming Land(sustainable land stewardship), & Farming Community (civic engagement & community service). The Kitchen Garden Project builds backyard and community gardens, host workshops, and provide support, training, and resources for new gardeners to find success. Our goal is for gardeners to build the skills and connections to organize good food projects in their own neighborhoods.

Harvest Farm/Denver Rescue Mission | Denver, CO

Rehabilitation

Students will have the opportunity to work on the farm alongside men in the New Life rehabilitation program. They may also serve meals, put together performances in the amphitheater, sort donations, assist with special events, and even experience "My Night in a Box."

Harvest Farm and Denver Rescue Mission strive to assist men in rehab. At Harvest Farm, volunteers will work alongside men from the New Life program, a rehabilitation program for men battling drug addictions or coming out of homelessness. At the Denver Rescue Mission, volunteers will work at a soup kitchen serving food to the needy, homeless, and hungry. Students will also get to experience what it truly is to be homeless through "My Night in a Box," where they will sleep outside on cardboard for one night with no resources or personal items.

Immaculate Conception Shelter & Housing Corp. | Hartford, CT

Hunger and Homelessness

ICSHC is an organization that houses chronically homeless men - men with substance abuse issues, mental illness, and housing instability. Volunteers will get to tour the shelter and possibly lead activities with men staying in the shelter. They will also get the chance to meet some of the men who have already been housed and hear their stories. Staff members at ICSHC will lead presentations to help volunteers understand what happens on a daily basis.

Hartford has the highest poverty rate in Connecticut with 30% of people living below the poverty line. The city itself is racially segregated, economically polarized, and teeming with social corruption and injustice. Connecticut is one of the wealthiest states in the US, yet it contains one of the most impoverished cities. Volunteers will get to work with a number of agencies including ICSHC, Hands on Hartford, and Beat of the Street. At Hands on Hartford, volunteers may work with Peter's Retreat (an assisted living facility for previously homeless men and women living with HIV/AIDS), as well as Community Meals (a soup kitchen), and Senior Café (an organization that delivers hot meals to low-income seniors). At Beat of the Street, students will learn about this newspaper written, published, and circulated by homeless persons in the area. Finally, volunteers will have the opportunity to share a meal and talk with other local volunteers about their experiences, including members of the Hartford Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Public Allies, and Americorps volunteers.

LeeMoor & Child Crisis Center of El Paso | El Paso, TX

Youth Poverty and Development

Students will be working with children who rarely ever leave El Paso. They will be working at both sites on various tasks and with the residents as well.

The Lee and Beulah Moor Children's Home supports children and families who are experiencing difficulty in their lives for whatever reason by providing a nurturing, positive environment and teaching self-respect, respect for others, and the importance of taking responsibility for one's own decisions and actions. The mission of the Child Crisis Center is to protect children newborn through thirteen years of age from abuse/neglect by providing temporary short-term emergency shelter and family support services. Students will be working with these children, who rarely ever leave El Paso, to help them see outside the town they live in, and to help improve their living situation.

PACER Center’s Juvenile Justice Project | Bloomington, MN

Juvenile Justice

PACER Center's Juvenile Justice Project serves parents and professionals in Minnesota through individual advocacy, training, and the ongoing development of new resources.

PACER Center's Juvenile Justice Project serves parents and professionals in Minnesota through individual advocacy, training, and the ongoing development of new resources. PACER assists parents and professionals by: • Helping parents work with the courts • Informing parents and professionals on the educational rights of children and youth in short and long term correctional placements • Training police officers about mental health issues and youth's rights under federal law PACER is committed to providing information about: • The overrepresentation of youth with disabilities in the justice system • The disproportionate number of persons of color in the justice system • The increasing number of youth referred to court for behaviors that should be addressed through an IEP • Matching disability needs with appropriate consequences, including educational and mental health services • Ensuring that youth receive special education and transition services while incarcerated • The development of outcome-based standards that promote accountability for both the child and the service providers

SALS - Southern Appalachian Labor School | Kincaid, WV

Rural Poverty

Volunteers will work in this rural town building houses and working on minor repairs to other homes in the area.

The mission of the Southern Appalachian Labor School (SALS) is to provide education, research, and linkages for working class and disenfranchised peoples in order to promote understanding, empowerment, and change. The Southern Appalachian Labor School is committed to developing a real comprehension of the social, economic, and legal structures which affect the lives of the Appalachian People. Volunteers will be working in this rural town building houses and working on minor repairs/improvements to other houses.

Sioux YMCA | Dupree, SD

Native American Culture and Children

The Sioux YMCA is the only YMCA in the U.S. on an Indian Reservation. Located on the Cheyenne River, Sioux Reservation serve Lakota youth and their families. Come to this amazing organization to help with work on the property, run daily after school programs, spend time with the Lakota children, and learn more about the tribe.

The Sioux YMCA is the only YMCA in the U.S. on an Indian Reservation. Located on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation they mostly serve Lakota youth and their families. Volunteers will be working on programs for the kids and the community. An annual trip of Illinois ASB, Dupree is an amazing experience for both the first timer and the veteran of the organization. Activities include running different after school programs for the youth of the area. This entails events such as Teen Night, possible events at the local school, and a daily after school program with the younger children. The after school program contains everything from various games outside to arts and crafts sessions indoors. The preparation for these events along with possible chores around the property of the Y make this trip include a variety of activities and experiences. The educational portion can open the eyes of any volunteer to the immense culture of the Lakota Tribe. Most importantly, the smiles on the faces of the children playing at the YMCA breeds memories that will last a lifetime.