Student Alumni Associations (SAA) members: Sign up now for Alternative Spring Break in Grenada

The island of Grenada is unique in its beauty and splendor. It is not only the Isle of Spice but also one of the better-kept secrets of the Caribbean. However, since the visit of Hurricane Ivan in the fall of 2004 there remains much devastation throughout the island. Members of the Student Alumni Association have a great opportunity to positively impact the lives of these gentle islanders by participating in an Alternative Spring Break to Grenada.

One group especially affected by Hurricane Ivan were the children who currently reside at the Sapodilla Home, a foster care facility. Many of these children were impoverished even before the hurricane separated them from their families. Since Ivan tore through the island, their numbers and deplorable financial strain have increased significantly. The island’s chief public hospital, Grenada General Hospital, has had a vast increase in patient circulation and is still heavily overwhelmed by the post-Ivan influx.

Participants in this special Alternative Spring Break would serve in both the Sapodilla House and Grenada General Hospital. At the Sapodilla House, the focus will be primarily on the nurturing, mentoring and tutoring of the children in the foster program, as well as providing them with toys and books. While working in Grenada General Hospital, the participants will be assisting the nursing staff with patients in a volunteer program. FIU students will alleviate some of the non-professional tasks that face many of the nurses and doctors.

Alternative Spring Break (ASB) is a non-profit organization that runs out of FIU’s Volunteer Action Center. ASB was started in 1994 at FIU when a group of 13 students, organized by Mark Cooper, gathered together to do something different on their spring break. In 1995, three trips were held and by 1998, ASB sent out ten sites. The FIU ASB program earned the 1997 Program of the Year from the BreakAway National Program, www.alternativebreaks.org, and the 2003 Student Life Award for a Service Organization from FIU. ASB has previously received extensive media coverage from 48 Hours for the program’s site at Ground Zero in New York City the year after 9/11.

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