Faced with disaster, New Orleans has become a community service magnet since Katrina. Alternative spring break programs favor the Gulf Coast region, as the area needs volunteers and offers an interesting environment for workers to explore.
Student Advocacy for Equitable Recovery and one of Tulane's Jewish organizations, Hillel, serve as hubs for service workers from around the country.
"Every year, there is this alternative spring break program in Hillels around the country," Tulane's Hillel Program Director Hanan Nayberg said. "Of course, because of Katrina, the focus is here on New Orleans."
Hillel plans to host a total of 600 volunteers in the weeks before, during and after Tulane's spring break. More than 30 different Hillels are sending groups to New Orleans for projects during this time, and visiting students will stay at a camp in Mississippi.
"Because they're all Hillel groups, they have discussions at the end of each day about community service and social values and how they relate to Jewish values," Nayberg said. "Not only does it connect them in a community and social way but also in an intellectual and spiritual way."
SAFER takes a secular approach and recruited more than 200 volunteers from 10 different campuses. Volunteer Coordinator Kory Northrop spearheaded recruitment by sending mass e-mails to campuses around the country.
"We had a really good response and reaction," Northrop said. "We actually had to turn groups away because we're not big enough to support that many groups."
The majority of those SAFER hosts plan to stay at local hostels, while a few will stay at churches or a super-rate motel.
"We've got them working at various jobs across the city, including drywall, insulation and exterior painting," said Jim Coningsby, executive director and program coordinator.
SAFER adopted new projects in preparation for their alternative spring break volunteers, working at eight different sites this month.
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