CSULB Alternative Spring Break

Incredibly sad news. Daniel was an amazing young man, and I was lucky to have known him.

Click here to support R.I.P. Daniel the ever Adventurist! by Connie Nguyen Daniel...a good son, nephew, and friend, with so much to give. He passed away on 02/02/2016 at the age of 23. I am helping his parents raise money for his funeral expenses...big or small. Daniel recently graduated from CSULB and loves outdoor activities and was an avid hiker. On February 2nd, he...

People often ask me why CSULB Alternative Spring Break continues to go to New Orleans a decade after Katrina. Well, as this NY Times article shows, there's a lot of work to be done. Perhaps the best summary of why New Orleans matters and why we go back each spring break:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/08/26/us/ten-years-after-katrina.html

10 Years After Katrina The New Orleans of 2015 has been altered, and not just by nature. In some ways, it is booming as never before. In others, it is returning to pre-Katrina realities of poverty and violence, but with a new sense of dislocation for many, too.

This article on Brad Pitt's Make it Right Foundation really gets interesting when you get to the "comments" section.

http://www.nola.com/katrina/index.ssf/2015/08/brad_pitt_feels_fantastic_abou.html

Brad Pitt: 'I feel fantastic' about Make It Right Seven years after the project began, Make It Right is an icon of inventive recovery. But getting to this point has been a complicated process for Pitt and his organization.

A fascinating account of the steps taken to protect New Orleans...and what remains to be done.

Is New Orleans Safe? The state’s master plan could avert a watery demise. But it would cost many billions.

Thanks, President Conoley, for swinging a hammer in a righteous cause with us and for your gracious comments about the Alternative Spring Break Program! And thanks, too, to all of the amazing students and colleagues who have kept this remarkable educational experience going over the past decade. Can't wait for 2016!

Spring Break Lessons The Beach is back in session after spring break and I welcome the renewed energy and activity as we head into the final weeks before commencement. I spent part of my break with Beach students, facu...

CSULB Alternative Spring Break was recognized by the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity for our years of service. Brett and I are currently fighting over the framed certificate.

California State University, Long Beach students have been volunteering this week for their alternative spring break! CSULB has been coming out to volunteer since Katrina and we thank them so much for all of their service!

So proud of everyone keeping this going strong!

Cal State Long Beach students to serve in hurricane country for spring break LONG BEACH >> While most students see spring break as a time to party, or at the very least rest and relax, a group of students at Cal State Long Beach will embark on a humanitarian effort to help New Orleans residents rebuild their lives.

After a long FB silence, it's time get back to regular posts on this page. Just a couple of days until we do it one more time--the 10th CSULB Alternative Spring Break Service Trip. Anyone want to see us off when we leave from the Pyramid on Sunday morning? The bus rolls out shortly after 5:00 a.m.

Look for frequent updates next week from 15 inspired students with iPads!

The title of this article caught my attention: social change. If I had to sum up the CSULB Alt Spring Break Program, I'd say that's what we're all about. Check out this fascinating short article...

Big Ideas in Social Change, 2014 Lots of dedicated people and groups are trying to change the world. What do the most successful ones have in common?

Congrats to Janna Jesson, CSULB Alt Spring Break 2014! Janna will be swinging a hammer for AmeriCorps in 2015, and her home base will be in Vicksburg, Mississippi, not too far from New Orleans.

Dear CSULB Alt Spring Break Supporters~

Thank you for your generous support. We raised $7,000 in just over 30 days. Thank you for your financial contributions, and thank you for helping to spread the word about this life-changing program for CSULB students. Be sure to check back in a few weeks for an update on the website that will house the work that the students will create.

We're coming up on ten years since Katrina inundated the city of New Orleans, and no, the city still isn't "fixed" yet. In the absence of a coherent and effective plan from any of the three levels of government--federal, state, city--the citizens of New Orleans are relying on a fourth tier of government to put the city back together: neighborhoods. Neighborhood by neighborhood, the city is reconstituting itself, and we've been there swinging a hammer in a righteous cause. From Broadmoor to the Ninth Ward, from New Orleans East to the 8th Ward, our motto is "better than before." We only have a few hours left in our crowdfunding campaign, so please make a contribution if you can. https://beachfunder.csulb.edu/project/5438505514bdf764766a652b?clid=XP0bTgIM8JPJVBhYHcOTEl&utm_campaign=page&utm_medium=social&utm_source=short_link

Support Cal State University Long Beach: Alternative Spring Break Help Cal State University Long Beach raise $10,000 for the project: Alternative Spring Break. Even $1 can make a difference!

In honor of Thanksgiving, I'm posting a video of one of the most thankful people I've ever met. Akayza is an Alt Spring Break Alum, and she does a great job of explaining the benefits of this current project. She is a tireless champion of our crowd funding efforts. Check out her video and then head to http://proj.at/1F5n3eC and make a contribution. Every little bit helps. We'd be thankful if you did.

Akayza: CSULB's Alternative Spring Break iPad Project! Please visit our donation page here: https://beachfunder.csulb.edu/project... or http://proj.at/1xG8bjO

A big THANK YOU to Linda Morrow for her generous support of our Alt Spring Break program! I met Linda 17 years ago when I first started teaching in the English department at CSULB, and I'm blessed to count her as a dear friend. Your commitment to CSULB students continues, and we're very grateful. Thanks for helping us to swing a hammer in a righteous cause!

We're at the halfway point in the CSULB Alternative Spring Break crowdfunding project. Don't think about how fat I look in the video; instead, think about your support can help to provide a transformational educational experience for 30 of the most amazing young people you'll ever meet while at the same time helping to bring much needed attention to the ongoing rebuilding efforts in New Orleans. Go to http://proj.at/1F5n3eC and make a contribution today.

Halfway Point for CSULB's Alternative Spring Break iPad Project! CLICK THE LINK: https://beachfunder.csulb.edu/project/5438505514bdf764766a652b

If you're following this page, please click on the link below and learn more about CSULB's Alternative Spring Break Program. Please make a contribution to support these amazing students and share this link with everyone in your social network. We only have two weeks left to reach our goal and we need your help.

Deshe: CSULB's Alternative Spring Break iPad Project! Please visit our donation page here: https://beachfunder.csulb.edu/project... or http://proj.at/1xG8bjO

This is why CSULB's Alternative Spring Break project is still swinging a hammer in a righteous cause 10 years after Hurricane Katrina. We only have two weeks left in our crowd funding campaign, and we need your help. Please encourage everyone you know to make a contribution at beachfunder.csulb.edu.

Treme Season 1 - Trailer .mp4 Cast: Khandi Alexander, Rob Brown, Kim Dickens, Michiel Huisman, Melissa Leo, John Goodman

Alt Spring Break Supporters: I need your help. We're behind schedule on our crowd funding efforts, and I'm asking you to post this link on your timelines and to ask people in your network to get behind this cause.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_1bHRgZ7nQ

Alex: CSULB's Alternative Spring Break iPad Project! Please visit our donation page here: https://beachfunder.csulb.edu/project... or http://proj.at/1xG8bjO

Apparently, there's this thing on Facebook called Throwback Thursday. Maybe you've heard of it? Here's a throwback to the original CSULB Alternative Spring Break crew. You guys changed my life!

Zion Smith has been on every single Alternative Spring Break service trip, first as a student and now as a staff member here at CSULB. She's the real deal. And I love her sense of humor! Thanks, Zion, for a decade of swinging a hammer in a righteous cause. I'm looking forward to the next 10 years of Alt Spring Break service trips with you.

Remembering Natalie Nevarez, our Natty Dreads. Heartbroken over her passing.

Dear FB Nation~
The interweb is cool, but can it be used for something other than Youtube videos of cats playing the piano? I hope so. I hope it can be used to swing a hammer in a righteous cause. I don't mean the kind of slacktivism, er, I mean "activism" that involves clicking "like" on a FB post. I need your help to raise money and awareness to help CSULB's CSULB Alternative Spring Break Program. Even a modest donation gets us closer to our goal. Help spread the word by sending the link to everyone in your network. Progress!
beachfunder.csulb.edu

We need your help! We're one week into our crowd funding project, and we've raised a little over $1,300. That's 13% of our goal. If we don't pick up the pace, we might not reach our goal. Here's how you can help: give money! Even a modest donation gets us closer to our goal. Ask other people to give money! I know; it feels weird to ask for money, but this is a good cause. Circulate this link as widely as possible! The more people who click on the link, the more money we'll raise. Help us swing a hammer in a righteous cause.

http://beachfunder.csulb.edu

Cal State University Long Beach | Give 30 iPads for 30 students. That is my rallying cry as the Alternative Spring Break Program celebrates its 10th Anniversary here at CSULB

The iPad crowdfunding project begins on November 3rd. The URL to the fundraising website will be posted here. Be sure to push that URL out to everyone in your network. If I can sign up for Twitter to spread the word about this project, then you can send post that URL as your FB status update, right?

Long time without a FB update, but big things are brewing! Our 10th service trip to Louisiana is coming up in the spring, and we'll be crowd funding to provide iPads for the Alternative Spring Break program. Check back for updates in the coming weeks!