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Miami Hamilton students staying to volunteer for spring break

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By Amanda Seitz, Staff Writer 8:34 PM Sunday, March 7, 2010

HAMILTON — While many college students plan a getaway underneath the rays in Florida or Cancun for this week’s spring break, a group of local students have staycation plans.

Eleven Miami University Hamilton students will stay in town for an alternative break through service program that will allow the students to experience what it is like to live as an impoverished, middle-class and wealthy Hamiltonian while doing volunteer work.

“We just felt it was really important to be here in Hamilton rather than some international destination” for the service project, said Annie Miller, director of Miami Hamilton’s Center for Civic Engagement.

The project is in collaboration with the Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps’ VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) national service program.

The students will stay overnight first at the Miami University Downtown Center, followed by nights at the Kingdom Ministry House of Prayer, Grace United Methodist on Main Street and lastly, The Courtyard Marriott in Hamilton.

“(Monday) evening they’re just going to be getting $2.10 for dinner,” Miller said. “We will actually be shopping with food stamps.”

During the day, Miller said participants will work at different locations, including St. Raphael’s food pantry, Shared Harvest Foodbank and the YMCA and YWCA.

Sophomore Lauren Hall said she is looking forward to volunteering, but doesn’t know what to expect.

“I’m kind of going into this blind,” Hall said. “The biggest thing for me is that it’s improving our community,” and provides the opportunity “to experience different poverty situations that I haven’t encountered before.”

Jessica Reading of the OCC AmeriCorps said the week would allow the MUH students to enhance their leadership skills and interact with community leaders.

This is important, Reading said, to address “what we are seeing as a very generational gap in leadership in community organization.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2192 or aseitz@coxohio.com.

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