MJ
Melissa Jones
  • Shelby Township

SVSU student Melissa Jones, of University Center, to spend holiday break volunteering in Florida

2014 Dec 3

Melissa Jones, of University Center, 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.

Jones, an exercise science major, will travel to Springs, Fla. with 10 other SVSU students to help the organization Peace River Refuge And Ranch care for large exotic animal habitats from Dec. 14 to Dec. 20.

"I hope to gain perspective. There is a whole world out there of people who can use a helping hand and I want to gain experience extending that helping hand and getting to know lifestyles outside of what I have experienced thus far," Jones 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.