Oct. 30, 2019
Contact: Sheena Rice, 573-882-8353, ricesm@missouri.edu
Over the weekend, more than 100 University of Missouri students will be leaving campus. They won’t be visiting home or going on vacation — rather, they will be hard at work volunteering in communities across Missouri.
The weekend of November 1-3, 112 students will partner with 19 community organizations in 17 counties. The service trips are part of a partnership between Mizzou Alternative Breaks and MU Extension. Founded in 1991, Mizzou Alternative Breaks sends groups of students on service trips during weekends, Thanksgiving, and spring, summer and winter breaks.
Mizzou students serving at Agape Food Pantry in Warrenton, Missouri.
“Students who participate in Mizzou Alternative Breaks service trips embody the values of our community — Respect, Responsibility, Discovery and Excellence,” MU Chancellor Alexander N. Cartwright said. “Their commitment to serving communities across Missouri illustrate why I say we are the University for Missouri.”
Volunteer locations include:
- Callaway County – United Way
- Cape Girardeau County – Veterans Home
- Chariton County – Brunswick Mayor’s Office
- Cole County – River City Habitat for Humanity
- Dunklin County – Helping Hand and Dunklin County Caring Council
- Holt County – Flood clean up in Oregon and Mound City
- Greene County – Salvation Army
- Jackson County – Hope House and Kansas City Spay and Neuter Clinic
- Jasper County – Lafayette House
- Lafayette County – Old Trails Region
- Lawrence County – Camp Wakonda
- Miller County – Citizens Against Domestic Violence
- Nodaway County – Children and Family Center
- Perry County – The Hope Center
- Taney County – Bridge of Faith Community Church
- Warren County – Warren County Handicapped Services, Inc.
- Wright County – Wright County Crisis Center
“During our service trips, we not only have the opportunity to serve the state, but we learn more about Missouri through hands-on experiences,” said Bailey Washer, graduate assistant for Mizzou Alternative Breaks weekend trips. “While serving others, we learn about important community issues, including education, health, homelessness and poverty.”
In 2014, MU Extension and Mizzou Alternative Breaks established a goal to serve all Missouri counties by 2020. This goal was accomplished in March 2019, and now the program is working toward a goal of sending 2,500 students to serve throughout Missouri by 2030. Earlier this fall, MU Extension announced that it had committed $10,350 to provide scholarship for 90 students with financial need to participate in statewide service trips.
Mizzou Alternative Breaks student leaders Ola Babalola, Megan Allen and Lillie Bradshaw, recently celebrated the student led organization's partnership with MU Extension to serve all 114 counties in Missouri.
