CSUSM Students to Spend Spring Break Helping Others

During this year's spring break, 24 students and three staff members from Cal State University San Marcos will travel across the nation to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity the week of March 20.  One group of 14 students and one staff from the University Village Apartments will travel to Miami while a second group of 10 students and two staff, sponsored by Associated Students, Inc., will travel to Washington D.C. to help build homes. The youth volunteers are participants of Collegiate Challenge, Habitat for Humanity's year round alternative break program. The Collegiate Challenge program is one of the many programs Habitat has to engage youth ages 5 to 25 in Habitat's work.  CSUSM students will help a family in need of a simple, decent and affordable home. "I love volunteering and am excited to participate again this year," said Kirstee Novak, a sophomore majoring in kinesiology. This will be Kirstee's second Alternative Spring Break trip. "It's a break from school while reaching out and helping people in need...and it's a bonding experience for all of us who go.""We recognize that these students could have done a number of things during their spring break and are grateful for their support to help families obtain affordable housing," said Cody Logsdon, Habitat's manager of youth volunteer engagement at Habitat for Humanity. "The work these students will do during their spring break will have a lasting impact in local communities."About Alternative Spring Break CSUSMAssociated Students Inc. and the University Village Apartments at Cal State San Marcos have organized Alternative Spring Break trips for several years.  Students apply in the fall semester and the group that is chosen is prepared prior to spring break, learning about the area they will be visiting and working with Habitat for Humanity.About Habitat for Humanity InternationalHabitat for Humanity International is an ecumenical Christian ministry that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has built, rehabilitated, repaired or improved more than 350,000 houses worldwide, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than 1.75 million people. For more information, or to donate or volunteer, visit www.habitat.org.About California State University San MarcosCalifornia State University San Marcos combines the ambiance of a mid-sized, personal, modern campus with the unequaled value of the California State University. Since its founding in 1989, the campus has distinguished itself. Students benefit from the latest facilities and equipment, a superb faculty that enjoys teaching, and a rigorous academic program that prepares students for a successful life in and out of the workplace. A recent survey reported that our annual spending in the region was $161 million, generating a total impact of $307 million on the regional economy. 85 percent of CSUSM's alumni stay in the region. CSU San Marcos is located on a 304-acre hillside overlooking the city of San Marcos. It is fifteen miles east of the ocean; just thirty miles north of downtown San Diego.