SVSU student Haley Moore , of Port Austin, to spend holiday break volunteering in Kentucky

2014 Dec 3

Haley Moore , of Port Austin, will join a group of Saginaw Valley State University students participating in the Alternative Breaks program, which sends students to volunteer across the globe during traditional school break periods such as the upcoming holiday recess.

Moore , an elementary education major, will travel to Harlan, Ky. with 11 other SVSU students to help the organization Harlan Community Action Agency organize a soup kitchen and perform house repairs from Dec. 14 to Dec. 20.

"I hope to become better educated about what all goes on in the world that we do not necessarily see every day. I would also like to gain a sense of pride and warmth in my heart knowing that I made a difference in someone else's life who really needed it," Moore said.

The initiative is one of seven opportunities being organized through SVSU's Alternative Breaks, a student-run program.

The initiatives include students traveling to Harlan, Ky., where they will help the organization Harlan Community Action Agency organize a soup kitchen and perform house repairs; to Miami, where students will help the organization Ronald McDonald House organize activities for children and families; and to New York City, where students will help the organization Gods Love We Deliver to provide food, shelter and meals for ill people.

The other Alternative Breaks initiatives include students traveling to Salt Lake City, where they will help the organization International Rescue Committee provide food and shelter to others; to Tucson, Arizona, where they will help Habitat for Humanity with building housing developments; to Springs, Fla. where students will help the organization Peace River Refuge And Ranch care for large exotic animal habitats; and to Asheville, N.C. to help a local YMCA with youth programming initiatives.