(Bruce Bottomley Photos) |
There was no doubt of that on Friday as 150 students laden with pillows, book bags and backpacks boarded three buses outside Howe Hall bound for Biloxi, Mississippi. Once they arriveāafter a 3,500-kilometre-long trip that will take them through three provinces and 14 statesātheyāll join a Habitat for Humanity build on the Gulf Coast.
āI donāt think anyone can call this apathetic,ā adds Ms. Levy, a second-year arts student from Montreal. āWeāve got the biggest contingent coming from Canada.ā
DalHabitat, the Dalhousie chapter of Habitat for Humanity, had so many students interested thatĀ it could have filled another bus.
āItās because itās such an incredible experience,ā says Jessica Roy, co-chair of DalHabitat. āThe students come back so passionate and theyāve had such a great experience they tell all their friends about it ā¦ weāve grown so much and itās all by word of mouth.ā
A third-year biology student, Ms. Roy is making her third trip to a Katrina-ravaged area. Two years ago, 21 students spent their study break in Mobile County, Alabama, and last year, 51 students traveled to New Orleans to pitch in with the construction of the Musicians Village in the upper Ninth Ward.
Each of the participating students contributed $450 to cover food and transportation for the 10-day trip. Costs were offset through fundraising benefits, a grant from the Dalhousie Student Union and by selling advertising on the back of their T-shirts.
While the students plan to work on the build site from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, there should be plenty of time for socializing. A trip to New Orleans is planned to take in the sights and sounds of Mardi Gras and to catch an NBA game between the New Orleans Hornets and the Detroit Pistons.
Two other people making a return trip are Trius bus drivers Jim Thorne and Gordon Crowe.
āYou look at these kids and you think, āWhy arenāt they going to the beach or a ski hill? This is their spring break after all,āā says Mr. Thorne, who packed 70 movies to keep the students entertained over 35 hours of solid driving time. He also was planning a few rounds of "Bus Idol" and "Survivor Bus" for the trip south.
āI got to say, I applaud these kids," he says. "Itās a great, great thing theyāre doing, especially when youāre down there and you see the devastation still remaining three years after Katrina. We honestly couldnāt believe how bad it was.ā