Gene's Blog: Rewarding road trip for UST students

April 26, 2010

Many college students spend their spring break in trendy locales like Daytona Beach or Cancun.

Imagine finding yourself instead in Scranton, Pa., minus the tour of Dunder-Mifflin’s fictional printing shop from the NBC show “The Office.”

Instead of parties and people-watching in the sun, several Tommie students instead signed up for the “Pay It Forward Tour,” a service trip from the Twin Cities and destinations east that finished up in Washington, D.C.

Among those who joined in a week of hard work, long bus rides and sleeping on floors were Tommie student-athletes Kristine Beese, Kristen Grossman and Amy Maas.

Beese, a hockey team captain who just finished her four-year career, said the late March trip was first conceived here in Minnesota by some U of M students six years ago. It has since attracted more than 8,000 student volunteers through a program called STLF -- Students Today Leaders Forever. The group’s mission is to “reveal leadership through service, relationships and action.”

“I’ve always wanted to participate in the Pay It Forward Tour,” Beese said. “My freshman-year roommates did it, and I have heard nothing but good things about it. To me, helping others is far more important than personal satisfaction. Spring break could have been spent doing many different things but it’s rewarding to be able to give to people, communities, and organizations in need. In the end, the tour not only helped the people and communities we served, but it also opened my eyes and turned me into a better person.”

Grossman, a three-year hockey letter winner, also found the trip worth her modest sacrifices.

“This trip opened my eyes to the struggles that communities across America face, and how far a little help from a group of college students can go,” she said.

“I was reminded of how great it feels to lend a helping hand for people that may not be able to help themselves. I realized while working with people with significant mental and physical disabilities (in Scranton, Pa.) just how fortunate I was to be able to do the daily tasks that I so often take for granted. It may sound cliche, but the way I look at life has changed since that day. I see so many things differently now. I have a better understanding of the homeless population and the things that they deal with each day just to survive, and I began to see the best in people -- no matter who they were or what they could or could not do for themselves. Through the interaction I had with people across the country, I gained a new perspective of myself and my own community. “   

All roads lead to D.C.

Beese explained that St. Thomas sent two buses of 45 students on two separate routes. She was on bus one that went to Minooka, Ill., Cleveland, Ohio, Syracuse, N.Y., Scranton, Pa., New York, N.Y. and Washington D.C. This year, Washington D.C. was the celebration city where the two St. Thomas buses, two buses from St. Olaf, and one bus from Madison came together for a final service project and ceremony.  

“By the end of the trip, I became friends with everyone on my bus,” Beese said. “We ate meals together, did service projects together, slept on YMCA and church floors together, got to explore New York and D.C. together, and spent nine days on a bus together.

“We had a variety of different projects. The first day we were in Minooka at the Elliott reservation, where many of us worked outside to clean up the farm. A group of people worked to create a garden, while others worked to clean up the woods nearby that was used as a dumping ground by the previous owner. A few others worked inside the house doing spring cleaning.”

PHOTO: Left, Kristen Grossman; right, Kristine Beese.

This group cleaned residents' rooms at a Cleveland nursing home. In Syracuse, it worked with the Salvation Army and cleaned and organized classrooms, painted hallways, or played cards with senior citizens. In Scranton, they drove to St. Joseph's Hospital and visited mentally disabled patients. In New York, rain dashed plans to go to Central Park. Instead, the students gave up their bag lunches and brought them to a homeless shelter before heading out to D.C. In D.C., students from all five buses came together to clean one of the rivers and nearby wooded area.

“The Scranton trip was probably the hardest task,” Beese said. “All of the patients were in wheelchairs and were unable to speak. We got to participate in the hospital's hoe down, where we took our patient room to room engaging in different western theme activities. It was hard knowing what the residence liked and disliked since they could not communicate vocally. By the end of this project, I began to realize how special the workers at this hospital are to be able to work with these individuals daily.I also learned that even though these patients could not express their thoughts and feelings vocally, they still have feelings and personalities just like any of us.” 

Relight the fire

Grossman said that most college students quickly get immersed with academics, activities and part-time jobs, making time for volunteering a challenge.

“I spent a lot more time volunteering in my community before college, but with the hustle and bustle of college life and with juggling hockey and school, I strayed away from it,” she said. “This trip was an opportunity for me to relight that fire, and get back in the mindset of serving others.” 

“This trip was the best experience of my life,” Beese added. “The opportunity to help people, meet new people, and develop yourself as a person has been the best experience ever. Nine days can turn into a life time of friendships. We only got to spend a few hours at each service site, but the impact that 45 individuals can make it remarkable. A trip like this really makes you realize what is important in life. There are so many opportunities and places in our own community that need help, so my goal is to follow up with my service. I have been given so much in my life, which I am truly grateful for, but now it is time to Pay It Forward and give to others who are in need.” 

Grossman agreed. “I was pushed beyond my comfort zone and challenged both physically and mentally almost every day, but I came to rely on 44 peers who became a family over the course of nine days,” she said.

“We were met by new surprises and challenges each and every day, but the rewards were indescribable. We spent a night in a church in Manhattan with 50 homeless women and  children. We got to the heart of issues, and together we witnessed the life of the homeless in America's largest city.  Pretty amazing. “