Alternative Spring Break Trip Brings Katrina to Erie
Thirty-five students and staff from Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, are wrapping up their alternative spring break trip in Gulfport, Miss., today. Erie Times-News reporter Erica Erwin and photographer Jack Hanrahan followed the Penn State Behrend students as they spent their spring break helping hurricane-ravaged residents rebuild their homes two and a half years after Hurricane Katrina.
Since arriving at the Orange Grove Volunteer Village on Sunday, March 9, students have spent their time digging holes for fence posts and framing houses, learning about the families who they’re helping, their struggles and triumphs, and reflecting on what they have to be thankful for and what they’ve learned.
Visit www.goerie.com/gulfport for complete coverage of the trip, including articles, photography of the damage that still exists, audio and video interviews with Gulfport-area residents, and the blog Mississippi Missives.
View more information about Penn State Behrend’s alternative spring break program and this year’s attendees online.
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, is a comprehensive residential college offering 32 baccalaureate, six associate, four pre-professional and two graduate degree programs with 22 minors to more than 4,400 students. Focused on providing a student-centered environment, Penn State Behrend is the link that connects its students to a major research and land-grant institution on a campus enriched by more than 110 clubs and organizations, 21 NCAA varsity teams, 19 intramural sports and modern facilities. For more information, visit behrend.psu.edu.