At a glance
“From the road trip to the field work it was all a great experience; we were able to gain new experiences in the field from doing demo, putting up sidings, and doors. The Habitat team were great teaching us how to do specific tasks, use tools, and no matter how many times the same question was asked they always responded kindly.”
Ricardo Rivera
Five Alfred State College (ASC) Northland campus students and a pair of faculty members spent part of their winter break working with Habitat for Humanity of Horry County (Myrtle Beach, SC). This is the second straight winter service trip that students from the Northland campus have participated in (Ft. Myers, FL 2023 service trip).
Faculty members Justin Dix and Jonisha Scott led the trip and worked alongside Kayla Allen, Ryan Kozlowski, Hunter Kryszak, Daivon Ortiz, and Ricardo Rivera.
“I'm very grateful and honored for the chance that we were given to be a part of that trip,” commented Rivera. “From the road trip to the field work it was all a great experience; we were able to gain new experiences in the field from doing demo, putting up sidings, and doors. The Habitat team were great teaching us how to do specific tasks, use tools, and no matter how many times the same question was asked they always responded kindly.”
Scott was excited to be one of the leaders of this trip. “It's truly an honor that Alfred State College provided this opportunity to contribute to building a brighter future for someone else. Having personally experienced the impact of receiving help myself and now being able to assist others in creating a better tomorrow is deeply rewarding and humbling. I cherish the chance to pay it forward and make positive impacts in the lives of others."
The group spent most of their time and energy to rehabilitate a home for Toni, the future homeowner. Their work focused on repairing siding and landscaping. (Read a recap of the trip from Habitat for Humanity of Horry County)
Rivera continued, “The coolest part of the trip was being able to build relationships, having great conversations with the team on site and the new owner of the home we were working on. We built a family relationship with each other. I really hope this keeps going on indefinitely, because it really helped us bond and grow through this trip, and I truly believe this can do same for others.”
This trip marked the eleventh time in the last twelve years that an Alfred State group has worked with Habitat for Humanity and the first time a group has traveled down during the winter break.
