Alabama: Tornado Relief and Community Organizations
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The Trip:
This Alternative Break Trip to Alabama will examine how communities organize themselves both in response to a natural disaster and in response to general social problems that they face. Through engagement with local churches and other organizations, participants will experience first hand the extensive role that faith based institutions play in the daily lives of community members.
Participants will be working with Habitat for Humanity to rebuild homes after a string of devastating tornadoes swept through the area on April 27th, 2011. This trip intends to investigate how and why churches are oftentimes more successful and willing to be of assistance than are local government organizations, for both chronic social problems and traumatic events that communities sometimes face.
In addition to the rebuilding project, participants will be traveling to Birmingham, Alabama to meet with Alabama Possible and other organizations to discuss some of the longer-term issues that Alabama faces, such as poverty, malnutrition, obesity, diabetes, racism, as well as the government disaster response, and the response from Church groups. At each of the sites we visit, participants will explore the issues related to the trip through multiple lenses and have the opportunity to draw their own conclusions about the underlying problems in such situations.
Trip Issues:
The most obvious component of this trip is disaster relief. However, the trip motives stem far deeper than surface level. In regions the trip will visit, the organization of communities, or lack thereof, presents serious problems for the areas residents. In small towns, devastated after the tornado, many people are still struggling to recollect their lives with little or no assistance. Over four months later, these citizens have still not received the help that they need from government institutions. Without the help of religious organizations, however, residents would be in far worse shape than they currently are. A major portion of this trip is questioning this scenario. Why is it that in the United States of America, government assistance after disasters like this is so often insufficient that other organizations must step in and do what they can? Why is the United States not taking care of its citizens as its government officials so often promise to do?
Student Trip Leaders:
Elyse Higley is a senior double majoring in Mathematics & Economics and Business, Language, & Culture. She is a co-captain of the American University Dance team. Last year she lead the Alternative Break to Dharamsala, India, after participating on that trip two years ago. This is her third alternative break experience.
Alexandra France is a sophomore majoring in Public Health with a minor in International Studies. She worked as a DC Reads tutor and she served as an FSE leader in August 2011. This is her first alternative break experience.
Tentative Itinerary:
Day 1, January 3, 2011:
Drive to Western suburbs of Birmingham in Northwest Alabama (13 hour van ride- stopping to rest along the way).
Settle in local church for lodging (bring sleeping bag).
Day 2, January 4, 2012:
Begin house rebuilding project with Habitat for Humanity.
Group dinner.
Day 3, January 5, 2012:
Building project with Habitat for Humanity.
Film screening and reflection.
Day 4, January 6, 2012:
Building project with Habitat for Humanity.
Campfire and reflection.
Day 5, January 7, 2012:
Building project with Habitat for Humanity.
Thank you dinner with First Baptist of Pleasant grove.
Day 6, January 8, 2012:
Drive to Birmingham, and settle in there.
Meet with the Executive Director of Alabama Possible.
Day 7, January 9, 2012:
Meet with local government officials.
Sight-seeing in Birmingham (Civil Rights Institute & Civil Rights District).
Day 8, January 10, 2012:
Drive back to DC.
