Join us in New Orleans!
Habitat for Humanity Wintersession Trip in New Orleans, LA
Monday, January 21, 2013 – Sunday, January 27, 2013
In ongoing support towards the rebuilding of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, the Center for Work and Service has once again organized their annual wintersession trip to New Orleans in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing affordable housing for low-income families around the world. As The Wellesley News reported on last year’s trip, students and accompanying CWS staff members spent an entire week reconstructing a house together. The Habitat program has become somewhat of a Wellesley tradition, remembered fondly by student and staff volunteers alike.
In addition to the accomplishment of gradually rebuilding the site, last year’s highlights included visiting the Louisiana State Museum, exploring the French Quarter, and dining with local Wellesley alumnae. As one CWS organizer recalled of the demanding, yet rewarding work: “We drop them off [the students at the Quarter] and tell them we’ll pick them up at about ten o’clock at night. But we often get phone calls at about 9 p.m. or 9:15 p.m. asking us to pick them up early because they’re so tired. Physically [the work] leaves us exhausted, but feeling really good.”
Here are some firsthand student accounts of last year’s trip:
On friendship: “I’ll remember all the dirt and laughter…friendship was one of the best parts of the trip”
On personal growth: “This trip empowered me” and “I now have a better understanding of my own strength”
On returning to Wellesley: “I’m tackling the semester differently”
On learning about the hurricane and its aftermath: “I’m really glad I did a trip in the USA and not abroad” and “I realized that there is a difference in proactively responding to problems and reactively responding to problems”
The student feedback speaks for itself. We hope you’ll consider applying. This year’s applications are due Monday, November 12th at noon for the January 21-27, 2013 trip. The project is open to all class years; up to eighteen members of the college will be selected. Applications need to be submitted electronically through MyCWS. CB