Break a Difference – FSU Students in New York City

Over spring break, eleven Frostburg students took the opportunity to volunteer through Alternative Spring Break in New York City.

The Frostburg State University Office of Civic Engagement offered the trip to the entire Frostburg student body. Eleven students traveled to New York City to focus on the issues of hunger and homelessness. A group of students also flew to Houston, Texas to volunteer their time to help with hurricane relief.

Alternative Spring Break is offered through the nonprofit organization Break a Difference. The organization offers alternative break opportunities to students in cities across the country. They primarily focus on the areas of hunger and homelessness, the environment, disaster relief, and children and youth.

The group of students in New York City stayed in The Variety Boys and Girls Club in Astoria, Queens. The Club offers the largest after-school program in the Queens borough. Nearly every day, the staff cares for over 200 children.

After arriving Sunday afternoon, the students met their site director, Amber Doherty, who would be their guide for the week. The students received complimentary water bottles and t-shirts from Break a Difference.

The volunteering began on Monday, March 19 as the students took a ferry out to Governor’s Island. The island is located in the New York Harbor at the southern tip of Manhattan. Closed to the public, the students got an inside look at what goes on to prepare for summer, the island’s most busy time of the year. The students worked through Friends of Governor’s Island, an independent nonprofit that is dedicated to enhancing the visitors’ experience. The island is a former military base and is currently being redeveloped to return back to the people of New York.

The students volunteered in the Red Garden and pruned roses, cut grasses, and trimmed hibiscuses. Following their volunteer work, the students got a behind the scenes tour. The island offers up a breathtaking view of the New York Harbor and Staten Island. The island has two dogs that they employ with the primary job of chasing geese away.

After Governor’s Island, the students returned to the Club they were staying at in Queens and spent the afternoon working with the children. Some students played football with a group of kids in the gym, while others worked in the STEM room, dance studio, or art room.

On Tuesday, the students spent the day volunteering near Rockaway Beach. The beach is located in the Rockaway Peninsula in the south shore of Long Island. The area faced severe damage following Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The students worked with St. Bernard’s Project (SBP), a nonprofit with the goal of shrinking the time between disaster and recovery. SBP rebuilds homes for lower market rates and carries out construction projects with lower subsidies then traditional housing models. The students began the day by prepping the kitchen of a family whose home was ravaged by the hurricane. The family’s basement was completely flooded, as the water rose to such high levels to also cause damage to the main floor of the home. The students covered the floor, counter, and any remaining appliances in the kitchen with plastic to prep for the demolition of the ceiling. After dressing in what some students called their “hazmat suits,” or as “Ghostbusters” as others called it, the rest of the day was spent hammering away at the ceiling of the kitchen. After nearly three hours, the group had successfully taken down the ceiling of the home.

The next day, New York was hit by the Nor’easter threatening over a foot of snow upon the city. The group of students spent the morning scrubbing down the Club they stayed at. They cleaned the boys and girls locker rooms, as well as the cafeteria and all bathrooms in the Club to give a ‘thank you’ for allowing them to stay there. In the afternoon, some of the students went out to explore the city, spending time eating some New York Style pizza and walking through Central Park.

The following day, Thursday, the students spent the morning working with the New York City Parks in Queens. The City of New York implemented a project to plant a million trees to increase its urban forest. There are also economic, environmental, and social benefits to the Million Tree Project. Of the trees planted, 70 percent were planted in parks and other public spaces, while the other 30 percent came from community, private organizations, and home owners. In 2015, the city planted it’s millionth tree – something of which the people of New York are very proud. The students volunteered in Queens as they shoveled out the tree beds, cultivated the soil and then mulched the area. As a sign of appreciation, each student received a pair of sunglasses from the NYC Parks department.

That evening, the students volunteered at the Community Kitchen in West Harlem. For the majority of the group, this was the most impactful part of the trip. A portion of the students volunteered in the Food Pantry as they helped guests “shop” for food on a point system. The other portion of the group volunteered in the Soup Kitchen and served guests. The students prepared meals, served guests, and helped with clean-up. Over 260 meals were served that evening, as each guest thanked the students for their time and smiling faces.

Junior Abby Rossman noted, “my favorite part was volunteering at the Harlem Soup Kitchen because it was really eye opening to see how big of an issue hunger and food insecurity is in the city, and it was really great to see the community come together to help solve the problem.”

The last day of the trip was spent serving at Broadway Community, a soup kitchen in Manhattan. Similar to the previous night, the students spent the first two hours peeling potatoes and carrots, as well as cutting vegetables for a salad. After the meals were the prepared, the students served the guests “restaurant style.” Once the guests had eaten and left, the students helped sweep and clean dishes.

That afternoon, the group spent time exploring New York City, making stops at the 9/11 Memorial, Washington Square Park, Chinatown, and Times Square.

Before the students left Saturday morning, they completed an exercise called Affirmation Taps. Doherty read a series of statements as students sat with their heads down, while a few others tapped them if they had met the criteria of the statements. The exercise is to show that everyone made a difference and has the potential to be an inspiration.

The students returned back to Frostburg State Saturday evening.

Senior Sarah Bernhardt said the trip was both emotional and humbling.

The students went in thinking they were going to change part of the world, but for many, the trip changed them. For more information on Break a Difference, please visit: https://www.breakadifference.org/.