This spring break, groups of Calvin students and faculty traveled to nonprofits across the United States as a part of the Service-Learning Center (S–LC)’s spring-break trip program. The program, which took students to sites in Chicago and North Carolina, offered students an exciting opportunity to work with service organizations outside of Calvin’s community.
History
Calvin’s service-learning trips have a history spanning almost twenty years. This rich history has allowed “students [to] live wholeheartedly by not only serving the community they travel to (no matter how near or far!) but also [to] serve one another,” says Amanda Russel, area coordinator and resident director of KHvR, in an email. The trips, which combine a service component, educational excursions and group reflection, are designed to blend both intellectual stimulation and service.
For example, according to Calvin’s official website, students who participated in a trip to Windsor, North Carolina partnered with Carolina Rebuilding Ministry (CRM) to aid in refurbishing homes that had been damaged by Hurricane Matthew. Another trip, specially designed for members of the Perkins Living-Learning Cohort, took students to Sunshine Gospel Ministries in Chicago. While there, students toured the city, cleaned community areas like gardens and learned about racism.
According to Annie Mas-Smith, director of the S–LC, she frequently enjoys seeing students become invested in the trips and grow in community from the shared desire to serve others. “Often students go on one of our trips apprehensively or not sure what to expect but always come back feeling filled, refreshed and more connected to fellow students that [they] didn’t know before the trip!” she said.
Rising costs and solutions
One common concern for potential participants is the rising cost. Travel fees hover at $500, which cover all trip-related expenses, including transportation, housing and dinner services. Mas-Smith explained that in 2024, Calvin’s first year offering spring break trips since the COVID-19 pandemic, S–LC operational dollars were used to offset the costs of the travel fees. This kept the cost paid by students down, but the model was not sustainable. The charge students paid this year allowed the S–LC to pay trip-related costs while not relying on the S–LC budget to offset the costs.
According to Mas-Smith, the S–LC encourages students to engage in a platform that allows them to fundraise towards their needed registration fee; this giving page was highly successful in helping students cover the costs of the trip.
Building Community in Service
The communal importance of the spring break trips is still being sensed across Calvin’s campus. Russel emphasized that if any student is interested in signing up, they should first examine their character and their desire to grow in service. “My advice to students would be to evaluate their hearts before saying yes. Are you ready to be graciously uncomfortable? Are you ready to take a posture of learning and humility?” she said.
Sofia Shevtsova, a freshman and member of Perkins, affirmed that the opportunity to travel to Chicago allowed her to see the positivity of those she worked with firsthand. Shevtsova also noted that the trip helped her improve her understanding of the lives of others, including marginalized members of society.
Russel further noted that the core of the spring break trips is exercising Calvin’s mission statement. For example, students can ask questions about what is important in a community and practice humility by slowing down and seeing another perspective. “They are spreading the love of Christ by using their talents to serve others and also learn about a community different than their own at Calvin,” she said.
