As March 2019 rapidly approaches, SERCAP’s VFC Alternative Break Program is gearing up for Spring Break Week 2019! Thus far, SERCAP has confirmed that approximately 347 to 372 students from 12+ Colleges and Universities, including: College of the Holy Cross, East Carolina University, Indiana State University, Michigan State University, Penn State, Rochester Institute of Technoloty, Rutgers University, Southern New Hampshire University, St. Joseph’s University, University of Delaware, Virginia Military Institue, and Wake Tech Community College, will be participating in this year’s Spring Break Week of Service.
Student volunteers will be providing a wide range of services to communities across the Commonwealth of Virginia, including: Narrow, Pearisburg, Newport, Salem, Roanoke, St. Paul, and Copper Hill, just to name a few. In addition to providing 30 to 35 hours of community service, each student will also make a financial contribution of $150, to the community they are serving, further investing in the well-being of the community as a whole.
In the long-term, SERCAP’s VFC Alternative Break Program positively impacts both the student volunteers and the community beneficiaries by improving their overall Quality of Life through the implementation of necessary Community Development projects, and the improvement of the Economic Self-sufficiency for both the communities and the students. In addition to the service they provide, the student volunteers make a financial contribution to the host communities’ as an essential part of the program, which in turn impacts the Economic Self-sufficiency of the communities’ by providing funds that can be used towards community development and civic engagement projects. The students also improve their own Economic Self-sufficiency by gaining hands-on field and/or job experience that will help them in securing gainful employment, and a steady income, following graduation. SERCAP’s VFC Alternative Break Program also trains communities in project management and empowers community members with the skills and confidence needed to become proactive and engaged citizens in their communities.
*SERCAP’s VFC Alternative Break Program is primarily made possible through its Program Fees. Additionally, all of SERCAP’s programs in Virginia are leveraged by the Budget Appropriation from the Virginia General Assembly, which is administered by the Virginia Department of Housing & Community Development (DHCD).