A group of Linfield College students, faculty and staff are trading their spring break vacations for a life-changing week of service and learning along the West Coast.

Each year, Linfield organizes Alternative Spring Break trips during which students fan out across the country to address issues of poverty, homelessness, sustainability and early childhood education and youth development through service learning projects.

This year, Linfield will host teams in three locations – McMinnville, Salem and Oakland, Calif. In Oakland, Linfield volunteers will help underprivileged children and teens by assisting with educational and recreational opportunities while learning about the need for positive youth development. A second team will head to Salem to volunteer with four organizations while learning about ways to alleviate hunger and homelessness in the state capital. And a third team will stay in McMinnville, learning about sustainability and stewardship through service with community partners.

Alternative Spring Break is in its tenth year at Linfield. Past trips have included New Orleans, La., to help restore wetlands and post-Hurricane Katrina native environments, as well as volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in Honduras and Guatemala.

Join the Linfield College community on Facebook or Twitter!