Eleven students at American International College spent their spring break in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, helping to rebuild a community ravaged by a 2011 tornado that displaced eighty families.

The students worked with Habitat for Humanity. The organization is constructing 35 new homes and rehabilitating 45 others.

Alternative Spring Break (ASB), a student activity-based organization at AIC, sources an array of human service organizations looking for opportunities to volunteer based on the skills and interests of its members. Habitat for Humanity was the first to respond. This is the third year members have dedicated their spring break in service to others.

Despite the students’ generous donation of time and talent, the trip cost $500 per student. AIC’s office of student engagement subsidized half.

The Alternative Spring Break fundraising committee hosted two events on campus to offset costs and raise awareness in addition to individual students soliciting family and friends in support of their efforts.

AIC students Kyle Jamison from Springfield and Stefanie Ormeche from Ludlow traveled with ASB to lend a hand, literally. Ormeche summed up her experience by saying, “This opportunity allowed me to learn, grow, and experience the work of a great organization that helped me engage with others and make a difference in the Tuscaloosa community. I am blessed to have been able to be a part of this amazing experience with not only my AIC family, but with the Tuscaloosa community.”

Many hands – and hearts – working long hours to rebuild lives and a community.

To learn more about American International College and its graduate and undergraduate programs visit online at www.aic.edu.