Western Michigan University has a registered student organization called Alternative Bronco Breaks in which students can use their spring, summer or winter breaks to volunteer for various social aspects. It’s a week-long trip where eight to 15 students go on the adventure of a lifetime to volunteer all over the United States.
I was fortunate enough to get selected to go on the Alternative Spring Break: Animal Welfare trip to Keenesburg, Colorado, to help out at The Wild Animal Sanctuary. My group members were of all different ages, backgrounds, ethnicities and majors.
At first, we were seven strangers, about to embark on a very long car ride together. I can’t fully describe the feeling I felt the whole way there, other than an awkward sense of unity. You see, I didn’t know these people but we were all on this trip for a cause much greater then ourselves, which made the trip to Colorado even more special. We spent the week learning each other’s quirks, interests and lives. While volunteering we re-laid the bedding down for lion enclosures, helped put soil down to grow trees and worked diligently in the Carnivore Nutrition Center with raw meat to make meals for the animals. The Wild Animal Sanctuary put us to work for a total of 31 hours that spring break, and it was every bit of rewarding as I had hoped it to be. This Sanctuary has rescued over 350 exotic animals from all over the world. That week our group got to work with an amazing staff along with volunteers who taught us a lot; for that, we can never truly repay them.
Of course, we joked and laughed, but we didn’t always agree. This trip strengthened my understanding of different personalities, teamwork and group problem solving. Spending my spring break with strangers in a state I’ve never been in became one of the highlights of my year. I learned something from each person; for that simple fact, I will never regret the time we shared.
If you are a college student I highly recommend you look into participating in an alternative break program at least once to meet new people, gain volunteer experience and learn more about teamwork and group problem solving. It’s an experience of a lifetime that you will have with you forever.
