ASB is a week-long undergraduate service trip during Spring Break to various underserved communities around the Eastern/Southern United States. Groups travel to areas in Kentucky, Mississippi, Maryland, New Orleans, Michigan and new this year, Charleston, WV and the Bronx, NY! In addition to these seven sites, a group will be heading to Puebla, Mexico. Activities performed at all the sites may include interior and exterior home repair, maintenance work, soup kitchen work, tutoring, and other projects in the community determined by the organizations we work with. Through personal interaction with community members, students learn a great deal about the importance of service, their fellow students, and themselves.

Alternative Spring Break (ASB) is a program sponsored by University Ministry that seeks to educate student volunteers about specific social issues by immersing them in diverse cultures and environments across the country to engage in service-oriented learning. Participating offers a chance to put into action the charisms of the Religious Sisters of Mercy and the Society of Jesus, the sponsors of the University. The participants travel together and live in a community atmosphere, sharing chores, meals and reflection opportunities. As everyone has a different persepctive, studnts learn to respect the dignity of each other and of those they serve Over the past 13 years, students have helped in many parts of the USA: Michigan, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Missouri, and even South Dakota.

The Detroit Collaborative Design Center is a center for applied research in architectural design and neighborhood development. The Center is committed to design as a means for uplifting and dignifying the human person. Located in the School of Architecture, the Design Center is a unique, multi-disciplinary, non-profit organization which is dedicated to renewing the city by revitalizing its neighborhoods. The Design Center seeks to promote collaboration among community organizations, local governments and private developers to confront the social, economic and political realities which have for years contributed to the physical deterioration of urban Detroit.The Design Center works with students, local design professionals and community-based development organizations to enhance local leadership capacity and to promote quality design. Utilizing broad-based community participation in conjunction with advanced design technologies, the Design Center produces excellent projects that respond to local concerns. The center’s work has won numerous awards for design excellence and has been published in several publications.

To date, members have made blankets, scarves, and homemade jam. On Friday, February 17, anticipating the coldest weekend of the year, students stayed after school to prepare over 100 sandwiches (using their homemade jam) and bake cookies. They boxed up the food along with scarves, gloves, and hats, for delivery to the Salvation Army Harbor Light Shelter, which services over 120 homeless families. In their weekly meetings, Service Club members are continuing to plan activities.

Following the Christian Social Justice model of Prayer, Education, Action, and Reflection (PEAR), this group for undergraduates will provide opportunities to put faith into action. Activities being planned include: Urban Plunge in Detroit Protest of the School of the Americas at Ft. Benning, GA Social Justice Conference for students in Washington, D.C. Participation and leadership in Social Justice Ministry service activities Involvement in local and regional social justice issues.

U of D Jesuit offers several summer service opportunities for their students including work with the developmentally disabled, soup kitchens, tutoring, and urban renewal projects.