ASB members pitch tents, pitch in

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Members of Alternative Spring Break pitched tents in front of the University Bookstore on Sunday as part of the second annual ASB Camp-in for Crossroads.

They arrive in Memorial Union when it opens at 8 a.m. and staff their campsite until around midnight. They have little plastic picnic tables, electric lanterns and sleeping bags. The only difference from a real campsite is that the tents are set up on tile and there are donation jars sitting on the picnic table.

Volunteers will staff the campsite in one-hour shifts, in between classes and jobs, and collect donations for the Crossroads Resource Center in Old Town. Their goal is to reach $10,000.

“There are roughly 10,000 undergrads on campus,” said Ashley Adams, senior and project coordinator. If everybody gave a dollar, they could reach $10,000 easily.

So far, they have raised less than $1,000, but Adams said they are not discouraged.

She said that last year it got busier at the end of the week. Their goal was $10,000 and they ended up raising just below $5000.

“It’s a lofty goal,” Adams said, but people have been generous. “They give what they have even if it’s their last dollar.”

Alternative Spring Break chose this week because it’s book buyback week, Adams said, and when people walk by after selling their books they have a dollar to spare.

Most of the volunteers are members of Alternative Spring Break, but anyone can sign up for an hour-long slot. Adams says there are still a few slots open, especially on Friday afternoon.

The camp-in will end on Saturday at midnight.

Alternative Spring Break is a community service organization that participates in service programs around the country. Every year during spring break, they participate in a large service project. In March of 2006, they traveled to Mississippi to help with the Hurricane Katrina cleanup.

For more information about Alternative Spring Break, visit the Student Employment and Volunteer Programs office on the third floor of Memorial Union, or contact Lynette Dexter, ASB adviser on FirstClass.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 14th, 2006, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.