Ithaca College

The Office of Student Engagement (OSE) will be offering students the opportunity to travel and volunteer in two locations this fall: Buffalo, NY, and the Adirondack High Peaks region.

Alternative Breaks is a service immersion program that offers students the opportunity to gain personal and professional growth through direct volunteer experience, place-based learning, and teamwork. 

The two opportunities for 2019 include:

Fall Trails Weekend with the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK)

The ADK (Adirondack Mountain Club) is dedicated to the conservation, preservation, and responsible recreational use of the New York State Forest Preserve and other parks, wild lands, and waters vital to our members and chapters. This trip will give students the opportunity to engage in ADK's Fall Trails Day - the last chance to clean drainages of fallen leaves and other debris before the snow arrives. Ten different trails located in the Adirondack High Peak Region will be focused on. There will be volunteers from different schools throughout the region. Activities on this trip may involve moderate to difficult hiking over several miles, and may include some camping at the Heart Lake ADK Wilderness Campground.

Journey's End Refugee Services and The Food Bank of Western NY

Located in Buffalo, NY, Journey's End Refugee Services, Inc. (JERS) is a Christian community-based organization with the mission of welcoming refugees without regard to ethnic origin or creed, and to assist them to become healthy, independent, contributing members of the community. For the past two years, IC students have helped JERS staff with their CSA (cost-share agriculture) project, which provides a source of income for refugees connected to JERS.

The Food Bank of Western NY was founded in 1979 to fight hunger in the upper western NY region. Today, Food Bank WNY assists as many as 135,000 individuals during any given month through their 341 member agencies, such as food pantries, community kitchens, shelters, youth programs, group homes and senior centers. Food Bank WNY operates a mobile food pantry, several nutrition programs, and a community garden. Students will have the opportunity to serve the Food Bank of WNY directly with volunteer activities taking place at their main facility in Buffalo. In addition, students will have the chance to learn more about how a Food Bank is central to addressing hunger in any given region, as well as  explore the area explore the area in the evenings! Students will stay in an Airbnb centrally located in Buffalo, and will have the opportunity to explore the area in the after work hours.

Click here to learn more and apply! Apply before midnight on Sunday, September 29!

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Don Austin at austin@ithaca.edu. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.