Spring Break Immersion 2019: Wheeling, WV

Hi everyone!!

Spring break for Holy Cross has already been over for two weeks, but I want to take some time to reflect on my first experience with Holy Cross’s Spring Break Immersion Program. As someone who has done service trips in high school- mostly serving my local community- I saw Spring Break Immersion as an opportunity to branch out in terms of what I had always done for service.

I spent my spring break this year in Wheeling, West Virginia, where me and a group of other Holy Cross students volunteered at a soup kitchen. Some of our responsibilities included serving meals, baking cupcakes for their weekly children’s program, and eating breakfast and lunch with the patrons of the soup kitchen. These experiences reminded me how powerful it is when we share our stories with one another.  

While volunteering at the soup kitchen was an important aspect of our week, we also still had time to explore Wheeling!! We went to Mass and Ash Wednesday services at the local cathedral, and ate dinner and spent time with Becky, the Director of the Soup Kitchen, and her family. They took us to a hockey game, as well as to other sites around Wheeling, so we could more fully immerse ourselves in the community.

The organizers of Spring Break Immersion attempt to place participants in groups with people they do not know as well, which initially made me feel nervous about the trip. However, over the course of the week, both through our work and the other activities we did, we became closer, making this program even more of a positive experience!!

Thanks for reading!!

Rebecca McSweeney