When will I find out if I’ve been accepted to a service trip?
Do you have any more information about the social issues of the trips?
What are the expectations of a service trip participant?
How do schedule and travel plans work? When and where do Spring Break trips end?
I haven’t done a lot of long-term volunteering or volunteer trips before. Is that okay?
What is the cost of the trip and when is the payment due?
Are pro-rated trips available?
How do I know exactly what I'll be doing during the week?
Where will I be staying and working?
How are meals going to be handled?
How does the program address safety issues?
What is the drug and alcohol policy?
What is the cancellation/refund policy?
The Spring Break Service Trip Application should only take 15 to 20 minutes to complete. Back to questions.
When will I find out if I've been accepted to a service trip?
Applicants will be notified by e-mail in late September. Back to questions.
Do you have any more information about the social issues of the trips?
Relief & Rebuilding – New Orleans, Week 1
The Relief & Rebuilding Service Trip will work primarily with the St. Bernard Project and Shirts Across America. The St. Bernard Project is a direct service non-profit organization that rebuilds and builds affordable, sustainable homes for families who lost their homes due to Hurricane Katrina. Shirts Across America is a non-profit organization dedicated to moving families out of FEMA trailers in the Gulf Coast Region.
Art & Community Building – Issaquah, Week 1
The Art & Community Building Service Trip will volunteer with the Pomegranate Center in the Seattle area. The Pomegranate Center works with communities to create gathering places—shared public spaces including parks, neighborhood focal points, community trails, and public artworks—that contribute to community distinction, vitality, and social interaction. Through art and public spaces, the Pomegranate Center strives to build healthier, stronger, and safer communities.
Conservation & Sustainability – Portland, Week 1
The Conservation & Sustainability Service Trip will spend part of the week with the ReBuilding Center. The center carries the region’s largest volume of used building and remodeling materials. It provides resources that make home repairs affordable to everyone, with the goal of promoting reuse. Students will also learn about the public transit, recycled clothing, waste management, and other sustainability efforts in Portland.
Refugees & Resettlement – Seattle, Week 2
The Refugees & Resettlement Service Trip will work with World Relief in Seattle. World Relief is a Christian Organization that helps refugees – victims of war and persecution – replant their lives in the U.S. Staff and volunteers work alongside the country's newcomers, helping them adjust to the culture, find employment, learn English, take steps towards citizenship and build a future for themselves and their children.
Food & Hunger – Portland, Week 2
The Food & Hunger Service Trip will volunteer at the Zenger Farm and CROPS (Community Reaps Our Produce and Shares) for most of the week. The Zenger Farm is a non-profit, working urban farm that promotes sustainable food and environmental systems. CROPS is an organic farm that grows produce for the low-income residents in the area and donates to the Oregon Food Bank. Students will also learn more about food co-ops, community gardens, food carts, food banks, and other food-related issues.
What are the expectations of a service trip participant?
Every student plays an important part in the success of a Spring Break Service Trip. During the school year, there will be group bonding activities and required group meetings, including: a Meet & Greet in late September to get acquainted with your group, an Issue Night in late January to learn more about the social issue of your trip, and a Send Off celebration right before Spring Break. In addition, the groups are encouraged to volunteer together in Walla Walla for Make a Difference Day in October and MLK Service Day in January.
During the trips, every student will be expected to work hard, be open to new ideas, contribute to the group, and have a positive attitude. Part of a Service Trip is learning how to live simply and be aware of your personal impact on the community. Reflection about what you do and learn is an important part of the trips, which will require thoughtful and respectful participation. At the lodging sites, all students will help cook and clean up. Willingness to build a cohesive group will help develop friendships that you will have throughout your time at Whitman! Back to questions.
How do schedule and travel plans work? When and where do Spring Break trips end?
Regional trips the first week of spring break will depart from Whitman on Saturday, March 10th and drive to either Portland or Issaquah. The trips will then end in their respective city’s airport (Sea-Tac & PDX) on Saturday, March 17th. Students are responsible for their transportation to wherever they need to go on Saturday, March 17th.
The New Orleans Trip cost will provide a plane ticket for all participants from Walla Walla to New Orleans on Saturday, March 10th. Students are then responsible for their plane ticket out of New Orleans to wherever they need to go on Saturday, March 17th.
Regional trips the second week of spring break will meet at their respective city’s airport (Sea-Tac & PDX) on Saturday, March 17th. Students are responsible for their transportation to the airport on that day. They will then drive together back to Whitman on Saturday, March 24th. Back to questions.
I haven't done a lot of long-term volunteering or volunteer trips before. Is that okay?
Service Trip programs are designed for anyone interested in getting to know communities outside the "Whitman bubble" while meeting new friends and fellow students. Our trips will include both participants with a lot of community service experience and folks who are brand new to it. Back to questions.
Accepted students will receive a detailed packing list before the trip. Essentially, students will need work clothes, a good pair of work shoes (closed-toe, hard-soled), clothes for after work, toiletries, pillow, sleeping bag and pad (if possible), and a great attitude! Back to questions.
What is the cost of the trip and when is the payment due?
Regional trips (Oregon & Washington) are $400 plus the cost of transportation from the trip location the first week or to the trip location the second week. The New Orleans trip is $800 plus the cost of a one-way plane ticket from New Orleans to wherever you want to go the second week of spring break. Students are responsible for booking this flight.
Trip participants will submit a deposit check for $100 (for regional trips) or $200 (for outside region trips) at the Meet & Greet event in late September. This money will be used for reservations and will be cashed immediately.
Trip participants will also submit a collateral check for the rest of their trip cost at the Meet & Greet event. These checks will be held as collateral against the amount the trip participant owes. Participants are encouraged to fundraise throughout the year in order to minimize trip costs. Fundraised money will help supplement your trip costs, and in March, the collateral check will be shredded, and you will write a new check with the actual amount due (Trip Price minus Fundraised Amount). If you do not fundraise or provide a new check at Send Off Night, the collateral check will be cashed. Back to questions.
Are pro-rated trips available?
Yes. The Service Trips Program offers pro-rated trips to students receiving significant need-based financial aid. The Community Service Office will work closely with the Financial Aid Office and the Dean of Students Office to determine eligibility. We have a limited number of pro-rated trips, available on a first-come first-served basis. Generally, the scholarships, if granted, will cover $100 for regional trips and $200 for outside region trips.
If you would like more information about scholarships, please contact Kelsie Butts, Community Service Coordinator at communityservice@whitman.edu. Back to questions.
How do I know exactly what I'll be doing during the week?
Before the service trips, participants will receive a pre-trip packet from their group leaders, and included will be an overview of the week's itinerary. Back to questions.
Where will I be staying and working?
Participants will be sleeping at local churches and will be driven by trip leaders to their work site every day. Back to questions.
How are meals going to be handled?
The majority of your meals will be prepared as a group at your sleeping location. There will also be opportunities to go out to eat and explore the town in which you are staying. All meals are included in the program fee. Back to questions.
How does the program address safety issues?
All participants are covered under Whitman's insurance policy. Trip leaders will receive training throughout the school year and will be First Aid certified by the Red Cross. As none of the locations are remote, trip leaders will always have cell phone contact. Back to questions.
What is the drug and alcohol policy?
No drugs or alcohol are allowed on Service Trips because they inhibit full engagement with the group and the service project. Anyone who uses drugs or alcohol will be sent home at his/her own expense. Back to questions.
What is the cancellation/refund policy?
