As many students went home for spring break, nine students hopped on a plane to Phoenix, Arizona as a part of a program called Service Break Experience (SBE). During the break, students spend most of their day volunteering at Andre House, a hospitality center for people that are experiencing homelessness in Phoenix. (Rosita Winden / Hilltop Views)Director of Campus Ministry Liza Manjarrez poses with senior Erin Franklin as they reorganize shoe inventory in the clothing storage area. This might seem like a menial job, but these types of jobs, whether cleaning the restrooms, sweeping the hallways or wiping down the tables, all contribute to the well kept-ness of Andre House. All of this work teaches students that tackling social justice issues in a community is greater than oneself, and that putting in work that might not seem all that much contributes to changes as a whole. “Service Break Experiences … are one way you can live out the university’s mission and call to create a more just world by immersing yourself in a community and working with nonprofits committed to social justice,” Manjarrez said. “It’s just one way, so whether it’s traveling for a SBE or volunteering through a class; I hope every Hilltopper finds their own way to contribute.” (Rosita Winden / Hilltop Views)Bri Boughter explains the porter job to sophomore Justin Trevino on the first day working at Andre House. Boughter is an SEU alum who went on SBE last year and decided that after she graduated a few months later, she wanted to work full time at Andre House along with five other people that make up a program known as CORE. At every job station, there was a CORE member to teach where things were and watch over volunteers most days. Members created a welcoming environment for the students and the guest, cheering them on when a guest excitedly tells Boughter about their one year sobriety. “It’s all in the community, Andre House is truly a remarkable sight to see,” Boughter said. “I think many people volunteer because they see a need, or rather people in need of help from them. But Andre House is unique in that it’s not just volunteers/staff members helping our guests, but our guests helping us too. I’ve learned, gained insight, and found joy and love from the friends I’ve met out here on the street, and it is the biggest blessing to have my life be changed so drastically from my SBE trip to now.” (Rosita Winden / Hilltop Views)Junior Paige Kennedy and Boughter open a door for a guest to enter for dinner time, welcoming them. At Andre House, there were many jobs that gave students the chance to talk and listen to the guests that called Andre House home, but the porter job gives students the biggest opportunity to do so. The “porter” name is a reference to St. Andre Bessette, CSC, who would welcome people to the college of Notre Dame, listening to people’s stories, praying with them and running errands for them. Today, portering remains the same job that St. Andre did: welcoming in and being present with not only the guests but other volunteers as well. “Portering really allowed me to get to know the guests on a more personal level, through getting to chat with them about their experiences and also helping them with whatever they needed,” Kennedy said. “The face to face interaction and casual interaction really brought everyone together in a special way.” (Rosita Winden / Hilltop Views)Senior Brian Romaniello is transferring batter to cooking trays, later cooking it to serve at dinner time. Students that are assigned kitchen duty in the morning usually cook lunch for the staff and the students to eat at noon. The other students who are assigned kitchen duty in the afternoon cook large amounts of food for Andre House’s biggest service provided: dinner. The average number of meals served during the week is around 500. Dinner preparations start in the early afternoon with students working with the volunteer chefs to make different foods each week. Whatever leftovers there are after serving the guests, students pack it up, drive to the CORE house and eat dinner together. (Rosita Winden / Hilltop Views)Boughter, junior Dahlia Duron and Franklin go downstairs to restock the clothing closet for tomorrow morning when it opens to the guests. The clothing closet, one of the services that Andre House provides, is an even better version of thrift stores because every item was free-99. If a customer couldn’t find something in their size or if they couldnt see a particular clothing item, the students would run downstairs to the rows of colorful clothes, which are categorized by size and type. To many students, the clothing closet was a blast to do, because, essentially, the student was playing as a fashionista, seeing what clothes would match with the guest, and trying to make them look their best. (Rosita Winden / Hilltop Views)I sit at an edge overlooking the Grand Canyon. During the trip, students got one free day to go anywhere they wanted, and the students, without question, chose to visit the Grand Canyon. The car ride was three hours long, but the pleasant surprise that was the winter wonderland that the group spawned onto made the trip worth it. Glee took over all of our faces as they stopped at a gas station in Flagstaff to take pictures. When they arrived at the Grand Canyon, students excitedly looked toward the edge of the lodge to find nothing but fog surrounding their view, getting glances of the canyon when part of the sky would open up for just a few minutes at a time. While the trip didn’t go exactly as students originally thought, they had an amazing time, finding enough time to reach the amazing achievement of becoming Junior Rangers and being sworn in with their badges. (Rosita Winden / Hilltop Views)
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